Patriots quarterback Drake Maye checked in from the Pro Bowl with his first public comments on new head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Speaking to Sirius XM radio on Friday, the Pro Bowl alternate shared his excitement for the Patriots new-look coaching staff. In his introductory press conference, Vrabel said the Pats quarterback, who is down in Orlando this week at the Pro Bowl Games, was one reason he found the job in New England appealing, calling Maye a “young, dynamic quarterback.”
During his radio interview at the 2025 Pro Bowl Games, Maye said that he’s already been in communication with his new head coach.
“[Vrabel] reached out to me, and we got on the phone. He’s been awesome. Obviously, a guy who’s done it, played in the league, and won a Super Bowl,” Maye told Sirius XM. “You have a respect for what he’s done and seen what he’s done. I think the biggest thing is he’s been a head coach and knows what it’s like. So excited to get up to New England and get things going.”
The 22-year-old starting quarterback was a late addition to the Pro Bowl roster following a promising rookie season. Maye finished his first season as the 17th-ranked quarterback in ESPN’s total QBR metric out of 32 qualified passers (58.6), slightly ahead of fellow rookie QB Bo Nix (56.9) and one spot below Jags QB Trevor Lawrence (59.3). The Pats QB threw for 2,276 passing yards with 17 total touchdowns in 12 starts as a rookie.
Along with sharing his excitement for his new head coach, Maye was also asked about offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels returning to direct New England’s offense. With the Pats top brass spending the last week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Vrabel suggested that McDaniels will add “new trends” to his offense that will also cater the offense to Maye.
“There’s been some growth from the offense over the years, and [McDaniels] has blended that with some of the new trends, but the foundation will remain the same,” Vrabel said. “We’re going to want to do things that maybe they didn’t do with previous quarterbacks here.”
As the head coach stated, Maye has a different skill set than most of the quarterbacks that McDaniels has worked with previously. Mainly, the second-year QB is a dual threat, with the ability to stress defenses with his arm talent and mobility. The hope is that McDaniels will leverage all of Maye’s physical tools against opposing defenses, giving New England’s offense as many ways as possible to move the ball and score points.
