By Greyson Potter, ’29

Staff Writer

New England Patriots fans might be the most spoiled people on the planet.

For nearly 20 years, their team was led by the best quarterback of all time, Tom Brady. He was coached by one of the winningest coaches in NFL history, Bill Belichick. It was around these two legends that New England built its decades-long run of dominance. The Pats won 17 AFC East titles in Brady’s 19 years, went to 9 Super Bowls, and won 6 of them. This was a stretch of utter domination the likes of which the league had never seen. But after the 2019 season, Tom went down to Tampa to get a title without Bill. He succeeded, winning the Super Bowl that very year.

New England has not enjoyed the same level of success since. Their next two QBs, aging veteran Cam Newton and draft flop Mac Jones, both failed, and Belichick lost his job after 24 seasons. Jerod Mayo, the former Patriots linebacker whom owner Robert Kraft had chosen to be Bill’s successor, took over. He and general manager Elliot Wolf now had possession of the third pick in the 2024 draft. The team was one of the least talented in the league and needed a quarterback. So they chose Drake Maye from the University of North Carolina.

Out of college, Drake Maye was viewed as a young, raw prospect who needed to work on some things, especially his footwork. Most, including the Patriots, thought it would be best for him not to play most of his first season to perfect his technique. Veteran Jacoby Brissett was brought in to teach Maye the ropes and play while he learned. Maye was brought in to start after five games, with the team at 1-4. He showed promise, but the team was so talent-depleted that we ended up with the fourth pick in the draft.

We came out of the 2025 draft with left tackle Will Campbell, running back Treveyon Henderson, wide receiver Kyle Williams, interior offensive lineman Jared Wilson, and safety Craig Woodson, among others. In free agency, we gave defensive tackle Milton Williams, fresh off a Super Bowl victory, the largest contract in franchise history, a 4-year, $104-million deal. Along with Williams, we added wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, edge rushers Harold Landry III and K’Lavon Chaisson, linebacker Robert Spillane, center Garrett Bradbury, and right tackle Morgan Moses. New England spent the most of any team in free agency, hoping it would turn things around.

Not only that, but coach Jerod Mayo was fired and replaced by another Super Bowl-winning linebacker with the Patriots: Mike Vrabel. Vrabel previously had been the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, but had been fired before last season and spent that year as a front office assistant for the Cleveland Browns. When he came to the Patriots, he brought Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator, back for his third stint at that position with the Pats. Drake Maye credits a lot of his development to Josh and his attitude. Vrabel was brought in to change the culture and set this new-look New England team on the right track.

It worked. Vrabel made this team a band of brothers, with everyone buying into his message. New England finished the regular season 14-3 and is playing for a Super Bowl. And a lot of it can be attributed to the MVP-level play of Drake Maye. At only 23 years old, Maye was neck and neck with Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams in the MVP race, reportedly losing by just one vote before Stafford was announced Feb. 6 as this season’s winner. Maye has shown maturity beyond his years, so despite the official vote, I think the young signal-caller deserved to be named MVP.

In a vacuum, Matt Stafford has better surface numbers. He threw for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns, both good for first in the league, as well as the same number of interceptions as Drake Maye (8). Comparatively, Maye threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns, both top five in the NFL, but less than Stafford. But the National Football League is not a vacuum.

Matthew Stafford’s top receiving weapons are First Team All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua and future Hall of Fame candidate Davante Adams. Drake Maye’s top option was a 32-year-old Stefon Diggs, fresh off an ACL tear at the end of last season. Some might argue that Drake Maye had a cakewalk of a schedule (a valid point-the Patriots this season had the easiest schedule of any team in the 2000s). But his QBR (Total quarterback rating) is 77.2 compared to Stafford’s 71.1. QBR factors in the strength of schedule, and Maye still outperformed Stafford and everyone else in the league.

Maye, with a 72 percent completion rate, was the only player in the NFL to have a rate over 70 percent. He set the Patriots’ record for completion percentage, an impressive feat given that Tom Brady played quarterback for the Patriots for 20 years. He also led the league in adjusted completion percentage (completion percentage minus drops, spikes, and intentional throwaways) at 78.8 percent, and completion percentage over expected (CPOE) at plus-9 percent. These are very important numbers because they show he can place the ball where it needs to be with accuracy, and his CPOE shows that he is making the tough throws that other QBs can’t.

It’s not like he’s just checking the ball down and throwing small-gain completions, either. Drake leads the league in yards per pass attempt at 8.9, air yards per pass attempt at 8.7, and yards per drop back at 7.7. He was second in the league in pass plays of 20+ yards. These metrics show his finesse when throwing the deep ball. If he can throw the deep ball with accuracy, then he can move his team down the field more quickly and score faster.

Stafford put up some great numbers of his own, but numbers alone don’t win you the MVP. When it comes down to it, “MVP” stands for “Most Valuable Player,” not “Best Player,” and Maye’s Patriots went from 4-13 last year to 14-3 division champions this season. Stafford’s Rams went from 10-7 to 12-5, which is an improvement, but not the historic 10-game turnaround that Maye led. The Rams also clearly had a better roster at the start of the season, with their aforementioned Pro Bowl-level receivers, a proven offensive line, and a running back with consecutive 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown seasons. Meanwhile, the Pats had an inconsistent offensive line, their best receiver is 32 and coming off an ACL tear, and their running back room consists of veteran Rhamondre Stevenson, who has fumbling issues, and rookie Treveyon Henderson, an explosive back with injury concerns. Both teams had solid defenses, with the Patriots’ unit being a bit better. But the Patriots finished with a better record than Stafford and the Rams, and it is safe to say Drake Maye made the pieces around him better. Stefon Diggs was a 1,000-yard receiver, former 6th-round pick Kayshon Boutte was one of the most improved players in the league this season, and nearly everybody else on the offensive side of the ball contributed.

Along with all that, Drake Maye led the league in scramble yards for QBs, showcasing his dual-threat ability. Plus, he is a leader in the locker room and on the field, holding himself accountable while being in command of every game.

Maye has also developed a cult following here in New England. You can see shirts plainly stating “I (heart emoji) Drake Maye,” with one fan at a Patriots game even drawing that on their bare chest. The “Drake Maye Lover” account on Instagram has gone viral, and he has earned the simple yet slightly confusing nickname Drake “Drake Maye” Maye. Don’t ask what it means; nobody knows, not even Drake. There have even been songs written about him, such as the Drake Maye Anthem and a Drake “Drake Maye” Maye song.

All in all, Drake Maye is my clear pick for NFL MVP. He led the turnaround of this New England Patriots team from the cellar of the league to playing in a Super Bowl, all in a single season. He did it with his great arm, insane accuracy, situational play, and leadership. And when you ask what player was really the most valuable to his team, it, without a doubt, was Drake Maye.