It would have been easy for the football world to turn on the New England Patriots because of their newfound good fortunes. They hardly suffered after running the conference for the better part of two decades, stumbled into a franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, and now look poised to compete for Super Bowls before other teams can say “our turn.”
Instead, Maye has become the golden boy of sorts, capturing the hearts of fans across the country and repeatedly going viral on his way to his first playoff appearance.
His play has been unimpeachable, but he has finally landed some criticism at the hands of ESPN.
Drake Maye Earns ‘First Take’ Criticism
The biggest knock on Maye’s breakout campaign is the schedule he’s had to play. A trio of fourth-place finishers, six games against the AFC East, and dates with the mediocre NFC South and AFC North have created the league’s easiest schedule.
That’s not Maye’s fault, of course, and beating the Buffalo Bills gave the Patriots some credibility. Still, it was enough for Cam Newton to call New England “fool’s gold.”
Ahead of the Patriots’ Week 12 clash with the Cincinnati Bengals, Maye responded to the outside noise.
“Nah… I don’t even know what show he’s on,” Maye said, via WEEI. “I think they get paid to make remarks and make certain comments. We’re just worried about what people in our organization think, and worried about what we think, and my teammates think. Everybody’s gonna have different opinions, so we just gotta go out there on Sunday and worry about ourselves.”
Maye’s approach is commendable, and he’s earned the right to be confident. He is the third-best quarterback in the NFL this season by PFSN’s Quarterback Impact metric, trailing only Bills phenom Josh Allen and Indianapolis Colts star Daniel Jones.
The schedule is light, but New England is handling business. At 9-2, the Patriots have won eight straight and find themselves in the driver’s seat for an AFC East title. Maye, meanwhile, leads the league in completion percentage (71.9%) and passing yards (2,836) while throwing 20 touchdowns to five interceptions.
Even so, his response to Newton earned him the ire of ‘First Take’ stalwart Stephen A. Smith.
“[Drake Maye] is a liar…First Take is the number one morning show..don’t tell me you a athlete and you don’t know that. Don’t tell me you a athlete and you don’t know that Cam Newton is on this show. You lying.” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/kaxxptSMpY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 20, 2025
“[Drake Maye] is a liar…’First Take’ is the number one morning show… don’t tell me you a athlete and you don’t know that,” Smith said. “Don’t tell me you a athlete and you don’t know that Cam Newton is on this show. You lying.”
MORE: Former NFL MVP Cam Newton Delivers Reality Check to Drake Maye After Patriots QB’s Recent Comments
Despite the discourse, there’s little to suggest bad blood between Maye and Newton. Born in North Carolina (and eventually playing for the Tar Heels), Maye looked up to Newton as a child and emulated his Superman celebration after a touchdown earlier this season.
Perhaps Maye won’t be able to quiet the critics until January, when New England goes toe-to-toe with the best teams in the conference. Until then, he’ll keep making his case as the Patriots’ franchise quarterback, bringing fans the same kind of hope Newton did a decade ago.
