New England Patriots QB Drake Maye is a superstar of the highest order.
In a Bleacher Report column titled "Ranking the NFL's True Franchise Players for Teams to Build Around Before 2026 Season," NFL analyst Brad Gagnon ranked New England Patriots QB Drake Maye No. 1.
Maye finished second in MVP voting last season to Los Angeles Rams superstar Matthew Stafford and it was only his second year in the NFL.
"This is really a no-doubter considering that Maye led the NFL in completion percentage, passer rating, QBR and yards per attempt during a near-MVP sophomore campaign for the surprise AFC champion Patriots," Gagnon wrote. "The schedule was soft, but the 23-year-old blew away expectations in building on a promising rookie campaign. He's already an elite weapon down the field as well as with his legs, and now he's got plenty of big-game experience entering Year 3. The future is wildly bright."
Maye finished the 2025 regular season with 4,394 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns while completing 72.0% of his passes. He led the Patriots to the Super Bowl.
It's fair to wonder how Maye would have played against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl had he not gotten hurt against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
It will be intriguing to see whether the Patriots can return to the Super Bowl next season and win it all in Year 2 of the Mike Vrabel era and Year 3 of the Maye era. Maye and Co. have plenty of motivation after losing to Seattle 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.
"I think that's the biggest thing about it: It's humbling. You've got to get back to work. When you're so close and within reach, you want that feeling," Maye said. "Everybody says, 'You'll be back.' It's not that easy. So, we've got to get back to work, and I'm looking forward to trying to prove to myself that we can get back and just have another year to get a chance at it."
In Year 2 of the Vrabel era, the Patriots face the Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Jets and Broncos. That's a pretty tough schedule.
The good news is that Maye has A.J. Brown on his side now.
Since entering the NFL, Brown is fourth in the league in both receiving yards (8,029) and touchdown catches (56). Brown and Cincinnati Bengals superstar Ja'Marr Chase are the NFL's only two players with at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven-plus touchdown catches in each of the past four seasons.
"It's hard not to get excited," Maye said. "What a player he is, and just right off the bat, what a great teammate so far. He's been a guy that you see on 'SportsCenter' the next day, making plays and scoring."
Maye enters next season with 6,670 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns. Let's see how the UNC product does in Year 3.
Patriots Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Patriots. Click the "Join" button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
