Ever since Tom Brady left Foxborough, the New England Patriots’ fans have been eager to find the next quarterback who could kick-start a dynasty. Now that Drake Maye took them to the Super Bowl in his second year, the front office has to be careful not to repeat a massive mistake it made with Brady.
Patriots Should Support Drake Maye Better Than How They Supported Tom Brady
Following misfires with Cam Newton and Mac Jones, the Patriots drafted Maye third overall in 2024 in hopes of rebooting a golden age in franchise history. While they went 4-13 in his first year under Jerod Mayo, New England saw a massive turnaround in Year 2 under Mike Vrabel, running it all the way to the Super Bowl, with Maye booking a 90.9 PFSN QB Impact score, which ranked second-best in the league.
Maye might very well be the Patriots’ best shot at reclaiming their familiar spot atop the game. However, the team will have to be smart about how it builds around the quarterback.
The front office notoriously pitted players against each other early in Brady’s tenure with the team in the 2000s, and NFL insider Albert Breer, during an appearance on “Toucher & Hardy,” cautioned the franchise against doing the same with Maye.
“I can still remember in ’06, standing out there… where Brady was talking about Deion Branch not being there. And that was a year after he signed his first like monster deal,” Breer said.
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Brady led the Patriots to the Divisional Round of the playoffs in 2005, with wide receivers Deion Branch and David Givens, who combined for 137 receptions, 1,736 yards, and 7 touchdowns.
Oddly enough, the Patriots didn’t bring back either receiver for ’06, much to Brady’s disappointment.
“Brady felt like he got screwed,” Breer added. “Because they told him, ‘Take less, and we’ll continue to build around you.’ And then, when he started talking to his teammates about what had actually happened, it wasn’t, ‘Well, now we’re gonna pay everybody.’ It was, using Brady’s deal against them. It was, ‘Well, he took less, so why can’t you take less?'”
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With Branch and Givens both gone after ’05, Brady had to lean hard on newcomer Reche Caldwell and tight end Ben Watson in ’06. Caldwell lasted only one season in New England before Brady had to deal with another receiving corps reset the next year.
Although the Patriots improved to 12-4 following Branch and Givens’ departures, Breer believes the front office’s behavior soured Brady’s relationship with the team.
“That, I think, complicated the relationship with Brady,” he said. “Do you really want to go down that road?”
With Maye up for an extension soon, it’ll be interesting to see how the team plays its financial hand as it builds around him.
