Quarterback Drake Maye returned to a very changed Foxborough for the Patriots’ offseason program, facing new coaches, new teammates, and a new offense. If there’s one lesson he’s carrying from last year’s 4-13 season into this mostly-clean slate, it’s ball security.
“You go back and see, obviously, negative plays, or sacks, or turnovers. There’s ways to improve on protecting the football. We’re preaching protect the football. Turnovers in this league are no good. They don’t result in wins in this league,” Maye said Thursday, in his first availability with media in 2025.
The QB was the warm glow from the dumpster fire of a season last year. He threw for 2,276 yards and 15 touchdowns in 13 games and his physical talent and toughness were undeniable. He also averaged a whopping 9 yards per scramble attempt. But along with those stats were slightly undermined by 10 interceptions and 34 sacks.
In his rookie season, Maye had every excuse for turnovers. As a 22-year-old with limited college playing experience compared to the rest of his draft class, he walked into the worst quarterback situation in the NFL. The Patriots’ coaching staff proved itself as unorganized as it was inexperienced, and the front office did little to support their No. 3 overall pick. Maye had to deal with a constantly-revolving and underperforming offensive line, no consistent starting left tackle, and a litany of problems out of the receiver room.
So everything Maye did looked like a positive, and every blemish was written off as a growing pain, or trying to make the best of a bad situation.
The stakes should be different for him this year. The Krafts have employed an experienced coaching staff led by Mike Vrabel, who appears to also have a heavy hand in personnel decisions. They spent on real NFL players in free agency and took big swings in the NFL Draft – especially on offense. Assuming their blueprint bears out somewhat according to plan, the onus will be on Maye to take a step forward from his negative plays.
He sounds well-aware of the challenge, and knows that in some instances, his own health and availability will depend on rounding out the rough edges of his game.
“Finding ways to protect the football, finding ways where – hey, it’s third down, we’re in field goal range, don’t take a sack. Little things like that, I think you can always learn. Especially, protection-wise. Protect myself,” he added.
Improving situational awareness and accuracy will be Maye’s biggest challenges in 2025. Everyone knows he can take off in a jiffy. Everyone knows he’s a personable guy who can get buy-in from his teammates. What everyone needs to see now, is the maturation of his decision-making in-game.