Drake Maye has been, far and away, the most fun and compelling part of this otherwise gloomy New England Patriots season.
So it pains me to say this: the right move for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills is to give Maye the day off.
The pros and cons list to playing the rising star in a mostly meaningless game are just so far lopsided in the favor of sitting him completely, and yet head coach Jerod Mayo sounded like Maye playing remains the plan when he met with the media on New Year’s Day.
“Drake is our starting quarterback. If he’s healthy and ready to go, he’ll play,” he said.
It’s worth noting that he left the door slightly ajar a few moments later, adding, “It’s still all up in the air. All three quarterbacks, including the emergency quarterback, will be ready to go.”
There are two big picture benefits to sitting Maye on Sunday, and neither have to do with protecting the quarterback’s health, so that’s not even part of the argument here. The obvious bright silver lining to losing out in Week 18 is securing the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and being able to use it as a giant bartering chip to improve the future roster in a few months. New England has its quarterback of the future, so there’s no need to hold onto the pick.
The other advantage gained, although less exciting, is the chance to get a look at Joe Milton III and where he stands in his development as an NFL backup. Milton hasn’t seen the field on game day since the preseason, and current backup Jacoby Brissett is on a one-year contract with New England.
NFL locker rooms are allergic to the concept of tanking. Players go as far as to call it a dangerous strategy given the violent nature of the professional game.
“The (New York) Giants, a lot of the fans were mad because the Giants won the game. But you know, you can’t ask professional athletes to go out there and not play hard, because you end up getting hurt,” defensive lineman Davon Godchaux said in the locker room Wednesday.
Of course that’s true, which is why any half measure with Maye – such as playing him for a quarter or two – feels as pointless as keeping him in a blowout loss in garbage time. There’s always a case for developing a player through added experiences, and the player – especially one with cut of Maye’s jib – will always want to be on the field.
But in this case, it’s just not really in the overall team’s best interest. New England isn’t going to magically establish a feisty, winning culture by taking down a Bills team who’s already treating the game as a quasi-exhibition in Week 18.
As Godchaux put it, when it comes to this season:
“The hay is already in the barn.”