Maye's incredible progress in year two is set to be exceeded in year three.
Mike Vrabel exceeded expectations in his first year as head coach for the New England Patriots. Drake Maye did as well in his second year as the team's quarterback.
In year two, Vrabel wanted his quarterback to become more of a team leader. He made his quarterback a team captain, and as the year went on, Maye got more vocal. His teammates all noticed the evolution of their young quarterback as they showered him with praise.
Despite the season not ending the way the Patriots wanted, Maye now enters his third year with a new set of goals laid out for him by his head coach.
Mike Vrabel spoke to the media back on Wednesday while attending the NFL Scouting Combine this week. The Patriots' head coach commented on what he wants to see out of his starting quarterback going forward.
“Just continue that development, taking an active role instead of me or Josh making corrections,” Vrabel said. “I think that’s something Drake wants to be able to do, is correct himself, but also the players that are out there with him. It’s something that I think is—and that goes throughout the team, is to try to hold each other accountable. That’s always when you kind of know that what you have is a good football team or one that has potential, is when they’re close enough and knowledgeable enough to hold each other accountable.”
It's a smart move by Vrabel to develop his quarterback. Maye has constantly taken the brunt of mistakes when asked about them in press conferences and will most likely continue to do so. Yet, it might be time to call his teammates on things as his career progresses.
Not to bring up the Brady comparisons again, but it is something we saw Tom Brady do as he evolved over the years. Brady always got fiery with his teammates when they had miscues. It was never meant to belittle his teammates but rather to motivate them to fix the mistakes and be better.
Despite not having a Super Bowl title, some argue that Maye has the support of his coaches and the resume to make strides in this direction. In 2025, he received Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors while finishing No. 2 in the league’s MVP voting (by only one vote).
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