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Legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski revealed the one area he would like to see New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye improve in Year 3.
The 23-year-old quarterback experienced a major Year 2 leap last season, finishing the year with 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He helped lead the team all the way to Super Bowl LX, where they fell in defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
Despite the loss, Maye walked away from the 2025 season as the runner-up for the NFL MVP award and with plenty of experience to use for future growth.
"When his deep ball is there, his deep ball is really there," Gronkowski told Covers.com's DJ Siddiqi. "You saw it on display throughout the whole season. What I really loved about him and his improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 was that he learned how to read a defense. He learned how to check it down in the situations when the situation is presented, not to force your ball, but check it down and take five yards or six yards per play, instead of forcing it in there.
"But I would say to protect the ball. He had the ball on the ground a lot. He had a lot of fumbles. So you gotta protect that ball, because turnovers hurt your team big time."
Maye had eight fumbles during the regular season, and that number tracked all the way to seven fumbles in the postseason. Those numbers need to come down for the Patriots to find sustainable success in the future.
The defense was tremendous in keeping the team in games, especially during the postseason. Maye's next step is to prove he can do more than just connect on big plays. Can he make the right plays under pressure in the biggest moments on the field?
That's the next step of his evolution as a quarterback.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Rob Gronkowski's honest thoughts on Drake Maye's numerous turnovers
Continue reading...
The 23-year-old quarterback experienced a major Year 2 leap last season, finishing the year with 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He helped lead the team all the way to Super Bowl LX, where they fell in defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
Despite the loss, Maye walked away from the 2025 season as the runner-up for the NFL MVP award and with plenty of experience to use for future growth.
"When his deep ball is there, his deep ball is really there," Gronkowski told Covers.com's DJ Siddiqi. "You saw it on display throughout the whole season. What I really loved about him and his improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 was that he learned how to read a defense. He learned how to check it down in the situations when the situation is presented, not to force your ball, but check it down and take five yards or six yards per play, instead of forcing it in there.
"But I would say to protect the ball. He had the ball on the ground a lot. He had a lot of fumbles. So you gotta protect that ball, because turnovers hurt your team big time."
Maye had eight fumbles during the regular season, and that number tracked all the way to seven fumbles in the postseason. Those numbers need to come down for the Patriots to find sustainable success in the future.
The defense was tremendous in keeping the team in games, especially during the postseason. Maye's next step is to prove he can do more than just connect on big plays. Can he make the right plays under pressure in the biggest moments on the field?
That's the next step of his evolution as a quarterback.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Rob Gronkowski's honest thoughts on Drake Maye's numerous turnovers
Continue reading...
