New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are hoping their offense will be much improved in the 2025 campaign. With that in mind, second-year quarterback Drake Maye is helping the unit take a positive first step before training camp gets underway.
Earlier this month, Maye assembled a group of the Patriots’ top offensive playmakers and had them join him in North Carolina. Among the folks in attendance were free agent additions Stefon Diggs and Joshua Dobbs, as well as rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams.
The goal for Maye was simple. He wanted a head start when it comes to getting on the same page as some of the folks who he will be working closely with on a day-to-day basis. Beyond that, he wanted to build deeper relationships with his teammates, especially the new additions, as they will be seeing each other quite frequently once the season starts.
While the football aspect is what everyone will be looking at first, Maye doesn’t think that was the most important part of this trip. He valued getting closer with his teammates more than their work on the field, as he thinks it will serve them well in their effort to help the Patriots get back on track in 2025.
“I think the bonding is more important than, really, the football,” Maye said, per Mike Reiss of ESPN. “Just have some dinner, and time in the pool and lake. It was a good time.”
In 13 games as a rookie, Maye threw for 2,276 yards and 15 touchdowns, while also rushing for 421 yards and another pair of scores. The fact that he managed to do so in New England’s horrific offense makes his limited production all the more impressive.
The Patriots’ front office worked hard on upgrading Maye’s supporting cast this offseason. Diggs is expected to be Maye’s new No. 1 target in the passing game, and the team’s first four picks in the 2025 NFL Draft were used on offensive players.
There will surely be some growing pains as the new season unfolds, because there always are. But Maye is doing his best to get ahead of them by putting in some early work with his teammates, and who knows, they could end up helping the offense get off to a hot start once Week 1 rolls around.
