5 thoughts on Drake Maye’s meteoric rise

FOXBOROUGH – At roughly the midway point of the season, Drake Maye is the MVP of the Patriots. He could very well be the MVP of the league when all is said and done.

Maye’s meteoric rise is one of the top storylines in the NFL right now. Everyone is talking about him and the Patriots.

On Wednesday, two national football writers were on hand to pen stories about the Patriots second-year quarterback. Even Tom Brady was waxing poetic about Maye’s exploits during an interview with Sports Illustrated.

With the Atlanta Falcons on deck, and the Patriots riding a 5-game winning streak thanks in part to their rising star, here’s 5 thoughts on Maye’s amazing start.

1. Can he keep up the blistering pace?

Maye’s league-leading completion percentage of 75.2% is insane. Since posting a 65.2% Week 1, he’s been on fire, posting multiple games with an 80% or higher completion rate.

He set a franchise record 91.3% completion percentage Week 7 against Tennessee, connecting on 21 of his 23 passes in the game.

Moreover, during the 5-game win streak, he’s thrown for 1,241 yards with 10 TDs, and a stunning 134.1 passer rating.

Is that kind of excellence even sustainable?

For mortal quarterbacks, no. So it would seem only logical for Maye to come back down to earth at some point.

But will he?

Maye just faced the NFL’s top defense. His completion percentage against the Cleveland Browns was 75% which is right at his average.

During the remaining nine games, Maye will face only two top 10 defenses. One of those is Atlanta, Sunday’s opponent. The Falcons sit right behind the Browns.

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The Bills are the other team with a top 10 defense. Maye already torched them.

So while Maye might cool off a bit over the second half of the season, it’s tough to see him cooling off that much.

Speaking with the media Wednesday, Maye isn’t satisfied even while performing in epic fashion. He still believes he can get better.

“I’m just trying to work it week by week … I think there’s a lot of plays I’m leaving out there,” he said. “I can play better and help this team play better offensively.”

He’s right. He hasn’t hit his ceiling. He can play better.

And that should scare AFC teams not only this year, but in years to come.

2. Does he have a Kryptonite?

Opposing teams have been defenseless against him.

The Browns sacked him six times, and still got blown out 32-13 last week.

Maye has seen zone coverage and man coverage. Two-high, and one-high safety looks. He’s been blitzed. He’s taken hits.

And he still shines.

Does he have a weakness? A Kryptonite that could derail him?

Maye’s failure to slide on occasion, taking hits in the open field, have left some anxious moments.

He missed time with a concussion last season, and was evaluated for a concussion during the Week 7 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Neither Mike Vrabel nor Josh McDaniels want him to stop using his legs. He just needs to be a little more judicious when it comes to taking chances for extra yards.

“Certainly, we addressed what we think the right thing to do is,” McDaniels said. “He’s a competitive guy. I think certainly making sure he’s available to the team is a priority. He’s got to balance doing the things that help us make really good plays in those situations because he’s an athletic guy who’s going to make some things happen when he runs versus making sure he protects himself in the end … It’s about making a good decision in the moment each time we do it.”

3. McDaniels-Maye connection better than imagined

Ahead of the season, there was plenty of discussion about how well Maye would adapt to his second coordinator, and second offense in as many years.

It didn’t seem like a recipe for success for a QB going into his second year, and that wasn’t even considering the complexity of McDaniels offense, and the added responsibility of calling the protection at the line.

After Week 1, with Maye looking out of sorts, it was popular to wonder if there was too much on his plate.

Seven weeks later, that concern seems silly. It’s moot.

McDaniels has made some fixes. He hasn’t been afraid to tinker with his system, and add in elements that Maye is good at.

He’s huddled with the offensive staff and incorporated some west coast principles, getting Maye on the move, where he’s the most dangerous.

McDaniels has found the sweet spot with the way he calls plays, and utilizes Maye’s strengths.

The Patriots quarterback was effusive in his praise following the Browns win saying McDaniels “was put on this earth to be an offensive coordinator.”

Together, they’ve been dynamite.

4. Players will come here to play with Maye

Let’s start with this: Former Patriots captain and center David Andrews said he wanted to play another year, just to play with Maye.

“The highest compliment I could give somebody … me wanting to play again this year, [Maye] had a lot to do with that,” Andrews said on a new episode of “The Quick Snap” with former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer, adding: “In reality, it was like, ‘I want to play with this [guy].’ … I believed in him.”

Andrews was released and ultimately retired, but the point is a valid one.

With Maye continuing to ascend as one of the top young QBs in the NFL, Andrews thought other players would want to come to New England, just to play with the Patriots quarterback.

“When you’re a lineman, you don’t get the ball,” Andrews said. “But I think what I’m trying to say is, hopefully now these pass-catchers are seeing what Drake’s doing, and you’re going to see the Tom Brady type of effect where people are like, ‘OK, I could go to so-and-so [NFL team] for this and come to the Patriots for this. I’m not just going to take that offer.”

During free agency next year in particular, is when the Maye affect will start to take shape.

5. Back up the Brink’s truck

The Patriots are trying to take advantage of having Maye on a rookie contract. But that, too, shall pass. And when it does, the money Maye is likely to command will be obscene, especially if he stays the course.

Currently, Dak Prescott is the NFL’s highest paid quarterback. He makes an average of $60 million a year. Joe Burrow, Josh Allen Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence are right below at $55 million.

Maye, who is in the second of his four-year, fully guaranteed $36.6 million deal, is signed through the 2027 season, but that’s something to keep in mind as he continues to shine.

His earning potential is going to sky rocket. The Patriots can’t negotiate with Maye until after the conclusion of his third season. The team can exercise a fifth-year option with Maye, but after that … cha-ching.

Fellow quarterbacks in his draft class (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix) will also be negotiating mega-deals. The way it’s playing out, Maye and Daniels will be setting the new pay scale standard for quarterbacks. And Nix won’t be too far behind.