One of the biggest storylines this NFL season is the return of the dominant New England Patriots, this year led by sophomore quarterback Drake Maye. This season, the team is 11-2 and currently the second seed in the AFC playoff picture.
The team has been dominant on both sides of the ball, but the highlight of the season has been the development of Maye. In fact, former Patriots great, future Hall of Famer, and the G.O.A.T., Tom Brady, spoke on what makes Maye such a special player.
Drake Maye Earns Tom Brady’s Respect as Patriots Reclaim Dominant Form
Brady appeared on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd yesterday and spoke on the Mayes and the Patriots’ success this season in the following video:
tom brady talking about drake maye is just so awesome man 🥹 pic.twitter.com/2q8zqmVGHq
— MayeIsKing (@MayeIsKing_) December 11, 2025
Brady started by saying, “He (Josh McDaniels) just talks about his work ethic, his willingness to get better and improve week in and week out. He’s a sponge for information, and that’s more important to me than what I see on the film because when I hear that, I know that he’s doing the thing it takes during the week that are going to show up consistently on the field.”
The importance of practice cannot be overstated, especially for a young player like Maye. Performance on Sundays isn’t determined by just one day; it’s a process that takes course over the whole practice week. And that isn’t just in field practices; it’s also in team meetings, position meetings, and film reviews.
Brady continues by saying, “With Drake, he has the physical ability, he has the size, but I think in terms of physical skillset, his downfield passing ability is awesome. Josh McDaniels has done an incredible job this year for the Patriots. Drake is running the same system that I was in; I know how good that system is for quarterbacks… he’s in a great system to be successful.”
And Maye has been quite successful this season. In PFSN’s QBi metrics, Maye ranks third in the NFL with an assigned letter grade of B+ and an impact score of 88.6. He’s completed 71.5% of passes for 3412 yards and 23 touchdowns to only six interceptions. He’s also rushed 81 times for 319 yards and two touchdowns.
Maye has thrived in his second year with the Patriots, and he’s only going to continue improving with how much work he puts in week in and week out. To receive praise from Brady is a great honor. Patriots fans should be excited about the team’s future.
