Drake Maye took another step toward joining the next generation of great quarterbacks on Thursday, turning in another stellar performance in New England's second NFL preseason matchup against Philadelphia .
Fellow young gunslinger Jalen Hurts acknowledged Maye's continued success after the game as well, greeting the rookie with a handshake and a brief embrace at midfield of Gillette Stadium.
Maye entered to begin the second quarter and injected immediate life into the sputtering Patriots offense, leading a field goal drive on his first possession before finding paydirt just before halftime to give New England a 10-3 lead at the break. The rookie gunslinger was 6-11 through the air with 47 yards, his brightest moment perhaps coming on an incompletion after he fit a ball between two defenders that squirmed through receiver Javon Baker's hands.
Meanwhile, quarterback rival Jacoby Brissett offered another unimpressive performance in Foxborough, finishing just 3/7 with an interception. Coach Jared Mayo has tentatively named Brissett QB1 but opened the door for a breakout preseason from Maye.
"This goes for any position. If he comes out and lights it up – and it goes back to quality of reps – it could absolutely happen," Mayo said of Maye being the team's starter in Week 1. "I tell you that Jacoby looks like the starting quarterback, but he'll have competition. Let's not forget about [Joe] Milton and [Bailey] Zappe. All the guys will be competing to start Week 1."
It's been a difficult road to replacing the legendary Tom Brady in New England, who won six Super Bowls in two decades with the Patriots while setting numerous all-time passing records. Cam Newton arrived as a one-year stopgap late in his celebrated career, throwing just eight touchdowns to 10 interceptions, and Brady's imagined replacement Mac Jones failed to match his first-round expectations and was shipped off to Jacksonville this offseason.
New England took another stab at securing their quarterback of the future in the 2024 NFL Draft with the third overall pick, selecting Maye out of North Carolina after a phenomenal college career. A high-four-star prospect out of high school, Maye arrived in Chapel Hill as a backup his freshman year before surging onto draft radars the following year.
Maye totaled 4,321 passing yards, fourth among all FBS passers, and added 38 touchdowns that led North Carolina to an ACC championship game and earned him top-10 consideration for the Heisman Trophy. His numbers regressed slightly during his junior season, but the Patriots remained impressed by Maye's arm talent, personality and accountability, selecting him as Brady's heir in April.
"Tom Brady’s the G.O.A.T. It’s easy to say that. He’s the best that ever played this game," Maye said, "I’m not going to be Tom Brady.
"So, I’m just going to try to be Drake Maye, and from there, I’m just trying to learn from him, hopefully get to know him a little bit. Other than that, just try to soak it up, be a sponge and try to learn all I can from him. He’s the man of that town."
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