Drake Maye had a breakout season in the NFL last year, leading the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl and establishing himself as one of the league’s best players. Maye earned Second-team All-Pro honors and was recently ranked No. 11 in the NFL Top 100 Players list.
As he braces himself for his Year 3 campaign, one former Patriots star believes Maye will take a giant leap this time around.
Drake Maye Receives MVP Prediction
Maye narrowly lost the MVP Award race to Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford last season. The former North Carolina standout finished with 361 points and 23 first-place votes to Stafford’s 366 points and 24 first-place votes.
Ahead of the quarterback’s third year in the league, two-time Super Bowl champion Asante Samuel declared Maye his leading MVP candidate on X.
“Drake Maye is my leading MVP candidate,” Samuel wrote.
Since being selected No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye’s productivity has improved every season, and the quarterback has been a key factor in the Patriots’ turnaround.
The Patriots released influential wide receiver Stefon Diggs during the offseason, bolstering their offense by trading for A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles, surrounding Maye with the pieces to make another Super Bowl run.
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However, during last week’s segment of the “First Things First” show, Eric Mangini suggested that Brown’s addition to the Patriots’ offense might hinder Maye’s growth next season.
“The biggest thing for me is the A.J. Brown addition in New England,” Mangini said. “Is that more positive than the addition by subtraction in Philadelphia? Stefon Diggs, for me, is a little more advanced than Brown. I don’t mean skill-wise; I mean, here’s a guy that was on multiple teams. Now he’s in New England. He’s a different guy in the sense that he wants to be part of the team.
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“It’s not just about his numbers. They talk about his leadership; he was a great teammate. I don’t think they’re saying the same things in Philly. A.J. wants to be successful regardless of whatever else happens, and that puts a lot of pressure on a young quarterback. I don’t know how Drake Maye is gonna deal with that.”
Last season, Maye earned the league’s best PFN QB Impact score of 91.8 after tallying 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, adding 450 rushing yards and 4 scores for the Patriots during the regular season.
During the postseason, the quarterback registered 828 passing yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions, adding 178 rushing yards and one score.
The Patriots will once again be one of the league’s most intriguing teams next season as they seek to win their first Super Bowl title in seven years.
