Drake Maye is an MVP candidate and the next great NFL quarterback – The Washington Post
After a not-so-long wait, the Patriots have found their next great QB in Drake Maye. (Photo illustration by David D. Robbins Jr. / The Washington Post; Winslow Townson / AP)The next Tom Brady? No, Drake Maye is a different breed.
Maye has led the Patriots to the top of the AFC in his second year. Though that story might sound familiar, his play style and personality set him apart.
November 8, 2025, 10 min
By Adam Kilgore
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — On the drive home to Charlotte in January, Drake Maye’s truck broke down on the side of Interstate 95. It should not have surprised him. Maye’s high school coach had told him he ought to replace his 2015 GMC pickup, the same one Maye used at Myers Park High. He obviously could afford a new ride, having signed for a $20 million bonus when the New England Patriots drafted him third overall in hopes he would rescue their franchise.
Maye, though, has an aversion to ostentation. He didn’t buy a new car when he became a professional. He didn’t even replace his old truck after it failed him. When Maye goes to work at Gillette Stadium — where he is the beating heart of the New England Patriots, a sudden MVP candidate and the spiritual successor to the greatest quarterback in NFL history — he still drives the same truck.
“My mom’s always been on me about just staying humble and not buying the sports car,” Maye said last week, standing next to his locker. “But” — he paused slightly, grinning with a wink — “it is tempting.”
For Maye and the Patriots, tantalizing possibilities abound. In his second season, at 23, Maye has led New England to the top of the AFC with a 7-2 record, ascended to the quarterback elite and delivered hope that the franchise of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick has become the franchise of Maye and Mike Vrabel. Maye owns the NFL’s best completion percentage, a victory over reigning MVP Josh Allen and effortless command of his locker room.
The Patriots have exploited a weak schedule, which grows tougher Sunday with a trip to Tampa Bay (6-2). But his performance has still thrust him into weighty conversations. It’s no longer a radical argument that he will be the best quarterback from the 2024 draft, even better than No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels. It’s not outlandish to think he could steal the MVP award in his second season; betting odds have him as the third favorite, behind Allen and Patrick Mahomes. It’s not crazy to believe that the Patriots have found another Super Bowl quarterback capable of bridging eras, that the next great quarterback plays for the franchise of the greatest quarterback.
“That position runs this league. You have that figured out; everything else just falls into place,” Patriots center Garrett Bradbury said. “He understands the responsibility of the role he has. He handles it with respect, with humility, with grace. He’s a baller out there, but at the same time he knows he’s one of the guys. It’s a lot on his shoulders, but you don’t feel that.”
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He missed overlapping with him by four years, but Maye is essentially replacing Brady, for whom Belichick and the Patriots never adequately created a succession plan. Cam Newton experienced few highs and many lows with a battered shoulder. Belichick’s hiring of Matt Patricia to run his offense doomed Mac Jones’s development. Bailey Zappe made an unproductive cameo. Jacoby Brissett kept the seat warm for Maye. As a rookie, Maye barely survived behind a horrendous offensive line under the inexperienced and ineffective eye of Jerod Mayo.
Maye is an elusive runner and a deep-ball master. (Robert F. Bukaty / AP)And now this: a fully formed, perfectly modern quarterback carrying the six northeasternmost states on his shoulders each Sunday. Maye’s 74.1 completion percentage, over a full season, would rank third highest all-time. He has not sacrificed explosiveness for precision. Maye has produced 105 plays of at least 10 yards either passing or running, second most in the NFL behind Mahomes. He ranks fifth in passing yards and third in yards per attempt.
“He’ll be the next guy to come after Tom Brady,” Maye’s high school coach said. “… He’ll embrace the fact that he’s at a place where Tom Brady was.” (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)Continue/Read Original Article Here: Drake Maye is an MVP candidate and the next great NFL quarterback – The Washington Post
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