Sportsnaut
Drake Maye was the Patriots’ top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and fans immediately had sky-high expectations for the passer. It’s hard for any Patriots’ quarterback to not be compared immediately to Tom Brady, but even with those lofty expectations, Maye largely impressed.
The quarterback ended his rookie campaign with 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The quarterback also showed off his legs, rushing for 421 yards and two scores on the ground. It wasn’t the best rookie season of all time, but it was impressive nonetheless, especially with the weak supporting cast.
Heading into the 2025 season, most Patriot fans are ecstatic to possibly have their next franchise quarterback. However, one famous Boston personality recently offered a scary comparison for Maye.
During a new episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Simmons compared Maye to Carson Wentz.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Simmons warned his audience. “I don’t wanna scare you, because I like Drake Maye. He’s got a little young Carson Wentz to his game. Remember when Carson Wentz was good, you know … MVP candidate, and you saw the highs, but there would be a couple plays every game where you’re like, ‘Dude … what was that? Yeah, don’t do that.’ (Maye’s) got a little bit of that.”
That’s definitely a comparison fans won’t love due to the way Wentz’s career has gone. The North Dakota State product at one time looked primed to become one of the top passers in the league, but injuries and wild inconsistency plagued his career.
In 2017, Wentz threw for 3,296 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The quarterback earned a Pro Bowl selection and finished third in MVP voting. Wentz also got a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles, but he was injured and Nick Foles actually played in the big game.
Since his time in Philadelphia, Wentz has bounced around from the Colts, to the Commanders, to the Rams, and then spent last season with the Chiefs. That’s obviously not a career path fans want to see for Maye, but the style of play does have some similarities.
Later on in the same episode, though, Simmons offered a much nicer comparison.
“I don’t think people realize how fast he is … They ran one play in the preseason where they did the classic video game play. They sent the receivers out and cleared out a side of the field, and he ran, and … he is an unbelievable athlete. Could he be like mini Josh Allen someday? I don’t know. But I think they’re gonna be taking advantage of the legs.”
I think I speak for all Patriot fans when I say they hope the latter comparison comes closer to the truth than the former.
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