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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Drake Maye stood outside the New England Patriots locker room before a late-November practice, pondering what makes a great leader.
Then, after a 20-second pause, he came up with an answer that put him back on the campus of Nicholls State University at the Manning Passing Academy in 2023.
The quarterback attended the camp and watched Peyton and Eli Manning closely. Maye liked the unassuming way the Mannings handled themselves despite their decorated résumés, and how genuinely invested they seemed to be in everyone’s lives.
It was some of the most exemplary leadership he’s been around — paired with the lifelong influence of his father, Mark, whom he describes as “one of the most humble guys I know.” Maye, 22, has leaned on those experiences during the Patriots’ 3-10 season. The No. 3 pick arrived from the University of North Carolina in April with the expectation of becoming a franchise quarterback. After taking over as the starter in October, Maye’s empathic leadership and play have sparked hope in an otherwise frustrating season.
The Patriots replaced veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, 31, after five games, passing the torch to Maye quicker than even some of the team’s high-ranking officials anticipated. One of the first teammates to check on Brissett after the move was Maye. That impressed Brissett, who has developed a close bond with Maye, as their lockers are next to each other.
But Brissett reminded Maye, “If you’re worried about me, you’re worried about the wrong thing right now!”
Despite the way the season has gone in the standings, Maye has elevated the offense. On the field, he’s showcased a big arm with 1,696 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, as well as flashing the ability to escape the pocket, ringing up 345 rushing yards and one touchdown. Limiting turnovers has been a work in progress — his eight interceptions are tied for the most of any rookie quarterback and he’s lost four fumbles.
Off the field, he’s displayed self-awareness and understanding since Day 1 that has resonated with teammates and coaches.
“It’s very easy to forget that he’s a rookie quarterback,” first-year head coach Jerod Mayo said.
“You see him walking around with that Drake smile,” rookie offensive lineman Layden Robinson said. “He always has that confidence about him and how he takes control of the huddle — he gets in there and says ‘Let’s go to work.’ We rally behind him.”
LONGTIME NFL QUARTERBACK Matt Hasselbeck was impressed with Maye when he first met him in February at a breakfast with top quarterback prospects during the 2024 NFL combine. He recalled how Maye was focused as much on the environment he was entering as the X’s and O’s on the field.
Few other prospects were asking the same questions of Hasselbeck.
“He said, ‘What’s expected of me if I’m the starting quarterback and I have a veteran established backup behind me?'” Hasselbeck said. “I took the question to mean in all areas. Like, ‘Am I paying for O-line dinner? Am I doing anything special for him? Am I giving him a task to do? Tell me what that role is like, because he’s the veteran.’ And then he said, ‘What’s expected of me if that guy is named the starter?'”
Thus, once Maye arrived in New England, he had a game plan for handling the dynamics with Brissett named starter.
“One of the best things about a leader is earning the guys’ respect; being a follower before you become a leader is one of the coolest things,” Maye said. “I was waiting my turn. I wanted to soak up as much information as I could from Jacoby and be a follower of his ways. Repeat his cadence. How he does things in the locker room. Handles people. Stuff he does in the community.
“I think that goes a long way into shaping it into my own form and becoming the leader I want to be in my own way.”
Longtime Patriots, such as eight-year veteran defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr., took note of the evolution.
“Having a very poised and humble demeanor, I like that about him, because he doesn’t come in like a hotshot,” he said. “I’m not saying he’s bashful. He’s humble. But he’s confident. And on the field, he demands respect with his actions and his words.”
Maye has followed in his father’s footsteps. Mark played quarterback at the University of North Carolina and briefly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and later served as a coach for each of his four sons’ athletic teams. He declined an interview request for this story, preferring to stay in the background.
“My dad just kind of gets it,” Maye said. “Me and my brothers always talk about having feel, and feeling personal situations and different people. He has good self-awareness and situational awareness and I think that comes with being a leader — when to step up, when to say things, when not to.
“He would bring us into the team huddle and say, ‘Hey Drake, give the team some words.’ If I was the quarterback of the team, or the point guard — just having me at a young age be in uncomfortable situations, he was showing the leadership he was trying to instill in me.”
IN THE FIRST quarter of a Week 10 game vs. the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, Maye made a play that left himself in disbelief.
Rolling to his right, he wanted to throw the ball out of bounds around midfield on a first-and-10 play. Instead, the floating throwaway attempt landed directly in the waiting arms of Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards.
Maye’s two hands gripped the top of his helmet in frustration. The message on the sideline from offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was straightforward: If no one is open, the tuba player in Row 4 always is, so make sure you get it there.
Maye’s performance wasn’t exemplary — 15 of 25 for 184 yards, with one touchdown and one interception — but his response to adversity, overall command and poise stood out. Mayo said Maye’s knack for not repeating the same error twice is “a great trait for a quarterback to have.”
The Patriots had their best team win of the season that day, by a score of 19-3. And it wasn’t a coincidence that it came after a big step in Maye’s journey as the team’s young leader in the days leading up to the game.
After observing sloppiness at a Wednesday practice, Maye asked Van Pelt if he could address the offense. Teammates recall him matter-of-factly standing in the front of the offensive meeting room. He first pointed the finger at himself for mishandling a snap, and then said “mistakes and details bleed over to Sunday.”
Maye was demanding more of himself and teammates at the same time.
“To have enough courage to stand in front of the whole offense and let us know, ‘This stuff is going to get us beat if we don’t fix it’, that speaks volumes of who he is,” first-year offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs said. “I remember thinking, ‘This kid is taking ownership of the details that are going to help us win.'”
At that point, Maye, the NFL’s youngest quarterback, had started four games and was growing more comfortable asserting himself.
“That was a big step for him,” Van Pelt said. “I think he’s starting to get a little more comfortable with the guys. More talkative in meetings. He’s a genuine leader. He cares about the guys, and I think they’ll respond when he says something.”
Maye has also learned that food can help, too. He took his offensive linemen out to Grill 23, which proudly proclaims itself as Boston’s premier steakhouse, the day after the win over the Bears — the team’s last victory. His brother, Luke, also attended.
Players met in a back room, away from the crowd. Steaks filled the table. There was a relaxed vibe.
Left tackle Vederian Lowe said it was a “big thing” toward building more continuity with Maye, full of good conversation. “It makes our relationship stronger,” he said.
“Breaking bread with your brothers,” Jacobs added.
Van Pelt and his staff have also attempted to create space for those connections to happen on a more regular basis. On some days, coaches leave the meeting room and players watch 7-on-7 and 1-on-1 practice drills together.
Maye is often leading the discussion.
“He is coming into his own. Becoming the starting quarterback, that allows you to be a little more outgoing in his leadership style,” quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney said. “But I think he just relates to the guys well; I don’t think he has to try really hard to do it. The better you play early on, the easier it is.”
MAYE’S GROWTH IN his rookie season has sparked hope.
One of the top characteristics Patriots scouts liked about Maye at UNC was his accountability, and how he never blamed teammates for miscues while speaking with the media, even when he might have good reason.
That has carried over to the NFL. In the aftermath of the team’s 28-22 loss to the Rams on Nov. 17, when Maye threw an interception on the final drive as receiver DeMario “Pop” Douglas never looked back for the ball, Maye provided cover for him immediately after the game.
“I think Pop did the right thing,” Maye said. “Just goes back to me, during the week, doing more [and] talking through different situations: ‘Hey, I may put this one on you versus let it rip.”
Likewise, in Week 13 after a 25-24 last-second home loss to the Colts in arguably his best performance of the season, Maye arrived for his postgame news conference in a red shirt with cut-off sleeves and referred to the result as “heartbreaking.”
“Proud of the way the guys fought. It’s a bummer,” he said. “I hate it for these guys and these coaches.”
Maye’s performance included a 41-yard run, which reflected his willingness to take off when the defense opens a lane and defensive backs are in man coverage downfield. The run tied for the third longest by a Patriots quarterback in the history of the franchise (since 1960), topped only by Cam Newton’s 49-yarder in 2021 and Tom Yewcic’s 46-yarder in 1963.
Maye also hit tight end Austin Hooper on a 16-yard touchdown that receiver Kendrick Bourne described as a “one of one” throw because of its pinpoint placement in a tight window near the goal line.
Maye’s first 10 touchdown passes this season were to 10 different pass catchers, tying former Broncos quarterback Steve Ramsey (1971-73) for the most consecutive touchdowns to a different player to start a career. His knack for spreading the wealth has endeared him to teammates.
“I’m glad to be playing with him,” Bourne said, “and can’t wait to see his future growth.”
Opposing NFL coaches have also taken note. Rams head coach Sean McVay raved about the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Maye.
“He looks like a stud,” he said. “You can just see the impact he has on his teammates. He looks like he’s going to be a special player for a long time.”
Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said Maye’s confidence was obvious, as was the trust he has in his arm. He added that Maye’s knack for scrambling for yards, or to extend a passing play, puts defenses in a bind similar to facing Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
“This is not me saying he’s Josh Allen, but you’ve kind of got to approach him like Josh Allen a little bit,” Weaver said.
The possibility that Maye could be an Allen-like presence in New England would be welcome for a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since its 13-3 victory over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019.
Tom Brady departed as a free agent after the next season, leaving a gaping hole for a franchise QB. Following Newton’s one-year stint as the starter in 2020, the Patriots initially thought they had their long-term answer at the position in 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones. But Jones struggled under former coach Bill Belichick and, as a result, the Patriots moved on from both Belichick and Jones this past offseason.
In a season of few wins, Maye’s energy and humble approach has helped uplift the team, while teaching him more about himself in a reminder that he’s come a long way since his time at the Manning Passing Academy.
“Starting the season, obviously you plan on wanting to be the starter. Then, handling adversity when I’m actually in there playing,” he said.
“So it’s handling the difficult times, bouncing back, and knowing at this position that these guys look to me. I’ve got to keep an upbeat mindset and personality because these guys follow me, listen to me and respect me.”