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Thus far, our “Year Two Leap Candidates” series for the New England Patriots in 2026 has focused solely on second-year players. A logical approach when discussing breakout candidates entering their sophomore years — but that strategy may not fully encompass all of the sophomore bumps New England is hoping to see on the field this season.
For the first time since 2022, Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye enters the year with cohesion on his coaching staff, specifically at offensive coordinator. From his redshirt sophomore year with the North Carolina Tar Heels onward, each new season has brought about a change at the OC spot accompanying Maye — until now.
Expectations are high heading into Maye’s second year under OC Josh McDaniels in Foxboro, but what can we realistically expect as a follow-up to the MVP-caliber showing he put together in 2025?
Our final Year Two Leap Candidate is New England quarterback Drake Maye.
Round 1, No. 3 Overall in 2024 NFL Draft
Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) calls a play against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Drake Maye experienced a breakout season in 2025 while working with McDaniels for the first time — and the pair enjoyed great team success on the field in the process. Maye was the catalyst of the Patriots’ offense for the vast majority of the year, and finished just three votes shy of being named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player at just 23 years old.
The traditional statistics were — in short — impressive. He finished the regular season with 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions passing, and added 450 yards and four touchdowns rushing. Maye led the league in several statistical categories, including yards per attempt (8.9), passer rating (113.5), QBR (77.1), EPA per play (0.27), and completion percentage over expectation (+9.1%). His NFL-best 72.0% completion percentage broke Tom Brady’s 2011 franchise record and ranks as the sixth-highest mark in NFL history.
Maye’s statistical outputs in the postseason dropped off from the pace he was on during the regular season, but he still accomplished several feats en route to Super Bowl LX. Maye became the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat three of the NFL’s top-five defenses in the same playoff run, and was just the third 23-year-old quarterback in league history to start a Super Bowl (Dan Marino, 1985 and Ben Roethlisberger, 2006). Maye’s 17 wins in 2025 were the most by a quarterback in their first or second seasons in NFL history.
Including his postseason statistics, Maye accounted for 5,850 total yards of offense for the Patriots (5,222 yards passing and 628 yards rushing) and scored 42 total touchdowns. With those yardage totals, Maye accounted for 73.6% of New England’s 7,949 total yards gained in 2025.
Last season, the Patriots went as far as Maye could take them — and the team reached heights that few thought possible. Now, New England has brought in reinforcements to ease the burden he previously carried in the offense.
The Patriots began their work reconstructing the offense around Maye with a key area of weakness that was revealed during the team’s playoff run: the offensive line. Alijah Vera-Tucker was signed in free agency to bridge the gap between Will Campbell at left tackle and Jared Wilson at center, and the team traded up to draft offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, fortifying the front line for years to come.
Vera-Tucker will provide a clear upgrade to pass protection for Maye, as his 2.8% pressure rate in 2024 ranked fourth among qualifying guards league-wide. Lomu was one of the more polished pass-blocking tackles in this year’s pool of draft prospects as, and projects to take over for Morgan Moses whenever the veteran moves on.
Once the trenches were addressed, New England turned their attention to the perimeter, signing Romeo Doubs in free agency and capping off an eventful offseason with a high-profile trade for former Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Both will become significant factors in the Patriots’ passing attack. Brown perfectly complements Maye’s downfield passing tendencies, as outlined in our earlier “What A.J. Brown Brings to the New England Patriots Offense,” and will open space for Romeo Doubs to operate (as detailed in “How Romeo Doubs Impacts the New England Patriots Wide Receiver Room”).
An upgraded arsenal around Maye will lessen the load that New England’s signal caller will have to carry on a weekly basis in terms of offensive production, and will help accentuate the strengths he’s established as a professional through his first two years.
But Maye’s already proven that the heights his physical abilities can take him to, even with lesser talent surrounding him. The next step in his development will be the maturation of his pre-snap responsibilities and his command of McDaniels’ system on a down-by-down basis.
This spring, he’s already turning heads in that regard.
Maye was praised by the coaching staff and media alike during mandatory minicamp, but not for his continued efficiency completing passes during red zone-heavy 11-on-11 team periods. Rather, the quarterback impressed by showing a new level of command at the line of scrimmage before the ball was snapped.
McDaniels and Patriots’ quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant each highlighted Maye’s control of the offense during no-huddle settings, crediting Maye for successfully calling his own plays at the line without directive from the staff on the sidelines. Maye based those calls on what the defense presented once aligned, and seemingly aced the test.
Further, the third-year pro began varying his cadence and snap count pre-play — a wrinkle that gives the offense a decisive advantage off-the-ball and is used frequently by veteran signal callers in short-yardage situations to draw defenders offside.
Maye himself noted a “night and day” difference in his understanding of the offense from this time last year, and he’s already showing that through the early part of the offseason.
A prepared, experienced Maye with comfortability in the offensive system, an improved group of receiving threats, and reinforced front line has all the pieces in place to take yet another step forward in an already remarkable young career.
As Maye and McDaniels prepare for a second season together, the sky may not even be the limit for the duo. The third-year quarterback has already shown his command of the system in 21 games, and that will only continue to grow with another full offseason to perfect the pairing. Now, it’s time to prove it once again — and Maye will have an expanded arsenal of weapons to do so.
Season two of Drake & Josh is shaping up quite nicely.
Does Maye continue to ascend as he enters year two with McDaniels, or will he regress after an incredibly efficient 2025 season? Let us know in the comments section below.
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- New England Patriots Year Two Leap Candidates: Craig Woodson
- New England Patriots Year Two Leap Candidates: Jared Wilson
- New England Patriots Year Two Leap Candidates | Patriots Roundtable Podcast
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For the first time since 2022, Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye enters the year with cohesion on his coaching staff, specifically at offensive coordinator. From his redshirt sophomore year with the North Carolina Tar Heels onward, each new season has brought about a change at the OC spot accompanying Maye — until now.
Expectations are high heading into Maye’s second year under OC Josh McDaniels in Foxboro, but what can we realistically expect as a follow-up to the MVP-caliber showing he put together in 2025?
Our final Year Two Leap Candidate is New England quarterback Drake Maye.
Year Two Leap Candidate: QB Drake Maye
Round 1, No. 3 Overall in 2024 NFL Draft
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Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) calls a play against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Drake Maye experienced a breakout season in 2025 while working with McDaniels for the first time — and the pair enjoyed great team success on the field in the process. Maye was the catalyst of the Patriots’ offense for the vast majority of the year, and finished just three votes shy of being named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player at just 23 years old.
The traditional statistics were — in short — impressive. He finished the regular season with 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions passing, and added 450 yards and four touchdowns rushing. Maye led the league in several statistical categories, including yards per attempt (8.9), passer rating (113.5), QBR (77.1), EPA per play (0.27), and completion percentage over expectation (+9.1%). His NFL-best 72.0% completion percentage broke Tom Brady’s 2011 franchise record and ranks as the sixth-highest mark in NFL history.
Maye’s statistical outputs in the postseason dropped off from the pace he was on during the regular season, but he still accomplished several feats en route to Super Bowl LX. Maye became the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat three of the NFL’s top-five defenses in the same playoff run, and was just the third 23-year-old quarterback in league history to start a Super Bowl (Dan Marino, 1985 and Ben Roethlisberger, 2006). Maye’s 17 wins in 2025 were the most by a quarterback in their first or second seasons in NFL history.
Including his postseason statistics, Maye accounted for 5,850 total yards of offense for the Patriots (5,222 yards passing and 628 yards rushing) and scored 42 total touchdowns. With those yardage totals, Maye accounted for 73.6% of New England’s 7,949 total yards gained in 2025.
Last season, the Patriots went as far as Maye could take them — and the team reached heights that few thought possible. Now, New England has brought in reinforcements to ease the burden he previously carried in the offense.
The Patriots began their work reconstructing the offense around Maye with a key area of weakness that was revealed during the team’s playoff run: the offensive line. Alijah Vera-Tucker was signed in free agency to bridge the gap between Will Campbell at left tackle and Jared Wilson at center, and the team traded up to draft offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, fortifying the front line for years to come.
Vera-Tucker will provide a clear upgrade to pass protection for Maye, as his 2.8% pressure rate in 2024 ranked fourth among qualifying guards league-wide. Lomu was one of the more polished pass-blocking tackles in this year’s pool of draft prospects as, and projects to take over for Morgan Moses whenever the veteran moves on.
Once the trenches were addressed, New England turned their attention to the perimeter, signing Romeo Doubs in free agency and capping off an eventful offseason with a high-profile trade for former Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Both will become significant factors in the Patriots’ passing attack. Brown perfectly complements Maye’s downfield passing tendencies, as outlined in our earlier “What A.J. Brown Brings to the New England Patriots Offense,” and will open space for Romeo Doubs to operate (as detailed in “How Romeo Doubs Impacts the New England Patriots Wide Receiver Room”).
An upgraded arsenal around Maye will lessen the load that New England’s signal caller will have to carry on a weekly basis in terms of offensive production, and will help accentuate the strengths he’s established as a professional through his first two years.
But Maye’s already proven that the heights his physical abilities can take him to, even with lesser talent surrounding him. The next step in his development will be the maturation of his pre-snap responsibilities and his command of McDaniels’ system on a down-by-down basis.
This spring, he’s already turning heads in that regard.
Maye was praised by the coaching staff and media alike during mandatory minicamp, but not for his continued efficiency completing passes during red zone-heavy 11-on-11 team periods. Rather, the quarterback impressed by showing a new level of command at the line of scrimmage before the ball was snapped.
McDaniels and Patriots’ quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant each highlighted Maye’s control of the offense during no-huddle settings, crediting Maye for successfully calling his own plays at the line without directive from the staff on the sidelines. Maye based those calls on what the defense presented once aligned, and seemingly aced the test.
Further, the third-year pro began varying his cadence and snap count pre-play — a wrinkle that gives the offense a decisive advantage off-the-ball and is used frequently by veteran signal callers in short-yardage situations to draw defenders offside.
Maye himself noted a “night and day” difference in his understanding of the offense from this time last year, and he’s already showing that through the early part of the offseason.
A prepared, experienced Maye with comfortability in the offensive system, an improved group of receiving threats, and reinforced front line has all the pieces in place to take yet another step forward in an already remarkable young career.
Looking Ahead
As Maye and McDaniels prepare for a second season together, the sky may not even be the limit for the duo. The third-year quarterback has already shown his command of the system in 21 games, and that will only continue to grow with another full offseason to perfect the pairing. Now, it’s time to prove it once again — and Maye will have an expanded arsenal of weapons to do so.
Season two of Drake & Josh is shaping up quite nicely.
Does Maye continue to ascend as he enters year two with McDaniels, or will he regress after an incredibly efficient 2025 season? Let us know in the comments section below.
–
Patriots Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Patriots. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
–
Follow Eddie on Patriots Roundtable
Related Articles:
- New England Patriots Year Two Leap Candidates: Elijah Ponder
- New England Patriots Year Two Leap Candidates: Kyle Williams
- New England Patriots Year Two Leap Candidates: TreVeyon Henderson
- New England Patriots Year Two Leap Candidates: Craig Woodson
- New England Patriots Year Two Leap Candidates: Jared Wilson
- New England Patriots Year Two Leap Candidates | Patriots Roundtable Podcast
Check out the Patriots Roundtable Podcast!
YouTube
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Continue reading...
