Patriots excited about Drake Maye’s second season under Josh McDaniels guidance

Drake Maye‘s first season under the scheme of New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels ended as a runner-up for MVP. Now, the team is buying into a second-year evolution.

Per Mike Reiss of ESPN, many within the Patriots building think Drake Maye will make an upgrade. That includes tight end Hunter Henry, who said, “I think the underrated thing he has this year is obviously going into Year 2 in the system is big. This system demands a lot on the quarterback position… to be in the same scheme and really build on what he did last year.”

Former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer also spoke on the matter. “And the wild card with [Maye] is just the athleticism. I thought he did a tremendous job last year knowing when to use it. Now, it will become an even bigger weapon because his mind will be sharper knowing what to do. To me, that’s the natural progression.“

It’s tough for Maye to take a leap due to how good his 2025 season was

Maye had a 14-3 record, guided the Pats all the way to a Super Bowl. Not only that, he was the runner-up in MVP votes because he led the NFL in completion percentage (72%), QBR (77.1), and passer rating (113.5), threw for 4,394 yards, had 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.

Overcoming that is quite the challenge, but Maye’s talent and maturity could still make him improve. Hence, the sky is the limit for Drake Maye. McDaniels is an offensive guru, and Maye is a highly talented and clever quarterback.

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Maye will have quite a roadblock this year

Last season, the Patriots had the easiest schedule in the NFL. In 2026, the Patriots are scheduled to have way more difficulties this time around. If Maye can even keep at the same level than last year but with this schedule, that can be considered an upgrade.