New England Patriots - NESN.com
Drake Maye only won three of the 12 games he started in for the New England Patriots as a rookie in 2024, but he showed all the signs of a franchise quarterback during his first action in the pros.
During his time on the field, Maye threw for 2,276 yards and 15 touchdowns, and while he also threw 10 interceptions, it’s tough to fault him too much considering the overall state of the Patriots’ offense last season. For his efforts, Maye found his way to the Pro Bowl in just his first NFL season.
There’s another element to Maye’s game that makes him all the more dangerous, as he ran for 421 yards and two touchdowns last year, too. That gives opposing defenses another issue they have to deal with when going up against the former North Carolina Tar Heels stud.
There is a risk-reward factor when it comes to quarterbacks exposing themselves to big hits by taking off on the ground. Maye knows this firsthand, as he suffered a concussion in Week 8 against the New York Jets after taking a hard hit while running the ball. Despite that, Maye isn’t going to shy away from making plays with his legs moving forward.
“Just taking care of my body and being smart, but also knowing when it’s third down or it’s near the endzone, I’m 6’5, 230 pounds. Go get something,” Maye said when discussing his mindset on running the football in 2025.
The Patriots’ front office was hard at work this offseason when it came to upgrading the roster around Maye for his second season. The hope is that he won’t have to run for his life as much as he did last season, largely because of the injury risk such plays pose.
Heading into the new season, expect Maye to be a bit more conscientious about deciding when to run the football. But when push comes to shove, he’s going to do whatever he has to in order to help his team come out on top.
