The New England Patriots have been watching Drake Maye turn potential into production for two years.
Meanwhile, an anonymous NFL executive believes the next stage of his development could look similar to a legend in Foxborough.
In The Athletic’s NFL quarterback stock report, Jeff Howe relayed a striking comparison from an executive who was granted anonymity so he could openly discuss players on rival teams.
“Drake has all the things you’d want at the position,” the executive said. “Being with (Josh) McDaniels and that offense, they’re grooming him to be like (Tom) Brady to win at the line of scrimmage.”
The Brady reference carries obvious importance around New England, though the executive’s point centered on Maye’s command before the snap rather than an attempt to equate their careers.
Josh McDaniels Giving Maye More Control
Maye came into McDaniels’ offense in 2025 with considerably more responsibility at the line of scrimmage than he had as a rookie.
The Patriots explained during the 2025 offseason that McDaniels traditionally gives his quarterback the final say on protection calls, checks and audibles. New England noted that Maye’s center handled much of the pre-snap communication during his rookie season, while McDaniels’ system shifted those duties toward the quarterback.
Maye embraced that responsibility from the start.
“The ball’s in my hands, I think you want that,” Maye said in May 2025 while discussing the offense.
The transition became part of a massive second-year jump.
Via the Patriots’ official statistics, Maye completed an NFL-best 72% of his passes in 2025 while throwing for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also led the league with 8.9 yards per attempt and a 113.5 passer rating, earning second-team All-Pro honors and finishing second in MVP voting.
He added 450 rushing yards and four touchdowns, giving McDaniels another dimension to build around.
Those numbers showed Maye could handle the physical and mental demands of the offense. The follow-up challenge is making those responsibilities increasingly routine, particularly when defenses disguise pressure or change their look late in the play clock.
Brady Comparison Centers on Winning Before the Snap
The executive’s Brady comparison fits one of the defining traits of McDaniels’ offenses during his previous Patriots tenure.
Tom Brady became famous for diagnosing defenses before the snap, changing protections and getting New England into favorable plays based on what he saw. The system required a quarterback to process information quickly and communicate those adjustments to the other 10 players.
Maye remains early in that process. He has two NFL seasons behind him compared with Brady’s two decades in New England, and the Patriots are feeling another set of expectations in 2026 after reaching Super Bowl LX last season.
The encouraging part for New England is how Maye already handled a significant increase in responsibility.
His third season opens with a difficult test against Seattle, whose defense sacked him six times in the Super Bowl. McDaniels acknowledged the offensive shortcomings from that loss this week while noting the development the unit has made since February.
That makes the anonymous executive’s assessment particularly timely.
Maye has already shown the arm talent, mobility and efficiency to play at an elite level.
And assuming his command at the line of scrimmage keeps catching up to those traits, the Patriots could be developing the kind of quarterback McDaniels trusts to solve problems before the ball is even snapped.
Patriots’ Drake Maye Likened to All-Time QB by ‘Rival’ Before Seahawks Rematch