Unless you’re currently a Patriots fan residing under a rock, you know that second-year quarterback Drake Maye is squarely a part of the 2025 NFL MVP conversation through six games this season.
Among starting QBs leaguewide, he ranks second in completion percentage (73.2%), fourth in passer rating (112.5), fourth in yards per attempt (8.5), fifth in passing yards (1,522), and ninth in completions (131).
Maybe most impressive of all for the 23-year-old - he ranks 27th in interceptions, only throwing 2 picks on 179 pass attempts.
Whether it’s Mike Vrabel, Josh McDaniels, Ashton Grant, or Maye himself who deserves the most credit for his year two leap is irrelevant at the moment. All that matters for Patriots fans is that the kid is locked in, and the stage is set for a 4-2 team to start stacking wins against bad teams as the season rolls along.
Maye’s MVP candidacy-narrative is not only percolating on Patriots Twitter, it’s also moving the odds in Vegas.
As of publishing, Maye has the fourth-best odds to win MVP, with the likes of Patrick Mahomes (+200), Josh Allen (+300) and Baker Mayfield (+350) ahead of him, in that order. With some books having Maye as low as +1200 to win the award, BetMGM currently has him at the best number at +1500 odds.
If you like Maye to shock the football world and win this award in his second season, stop what you’re doing and bet him to do so right now. Because if the Patriots win on Sunday on the strength of a big performance from the UNC-product, that number is definitely dipping below +1000.
People might think you’re crazy for grabbing that type of ticket given how flash-in-the-pan this stretch for Maye might seem for some.
“You Better You Bet” host Nick Kostos is not one of those people.
Here’s everything he said about Maye’s MVP candidacy during his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show on Friday:
Nick Kostos: “If you like New England, I don't think it's crazy that Drake Maye could win MVP with the schedule being what it is. And there is precedent for second year quarterbacks winning MVP. We've seen it twice in the last 10 years with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. I'm not saying like, bet your 401(k) on it. Just that, look at the schedule.”
Greg Hill: “In your mind right now, just this week as we sit here now, who's in front of him? Is Baker Mayfield in front of him?”
NK: “So Baker's in front. If the season ended now, Baker would win. But like, I don't think Baker is going to win when it's all said and done. I think Josh Allen is still the most likely player to win. And look, there's a strong case to be made for the Patriots to win the AFC East. And the case is that the schedule is way easier than Buffalo’s. They beat Buffalo at their place head-to-head. I still think the Bills are going to win the AFC East.
“But this is where I'm going with this - it's a strong case that the Patriots could win this division, that the Patriots could be the one seed in the AFC, that Drake Maye could win MVP. So I wouldn't make these bets, but I think that you could make them and you could win them."
GH: “Why wouldn't you? Because you wager everything prior to the season to get the best number? Like, why wouldn't you?”
NK: “Well, I think the time to bet Drake Maye was probably a couple weeks ago, not that he can't win now. I think Buffalo is more likely to be the one seed. I think Buffalo is more likely to win the AFC East. I think the Bills are better than the Patriots. So if that's true, Drake Maye is not winning MVP. If the Patriots don't win the AFC East - they have to win the division. You probably have to be the one seed.
“And the other problem with that is the MVP favorite, No. 15 on Kansas City. The Chiefs might not lose another game this season. I'm exaggerating maybe a little bit here, but I think they're the best team right now with a bullet in the NFL. And I don't know how many more games the Chiefs are losing this year.”
Speaking of betting odds, we saw a minor shift in the Patriots’ odds for Sunday as they head into Nashville for a Week 7 tilt with the lowly Titans (1-5).
Shortly after Vrabel announced wide receiver Stefon Diggs as “questionable” for Sunday as he continues to deal with a chest injury, the Patriots fell from a 7-point favorite at FanDuel to a 6.5-point favorite. They moved from as low as a -360 moneyline favorite to -300, and the total raised from 41.5 to 42.5.
A combination of the bettors and the books believe a Diggs absence gives the Titans a better chance of making this a ballgame, even with an interim head coach taking over the team less than a week before Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. As the weekend progresses, it will be interesting to see where these markets eventually settle.
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest as this story develops.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.