FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Maye’s growth: The Patriots’ voluntary offseason program enters a new phase this week with organized team activities. Wednesday will provide the first look at quarterback Drake Maye and Co. in full-team drills (albeit not in full pads).
Veteran tight end Hunter Henry recently pointed out what he believes is an overlooked aspect of Maye.
“I think the underrated thing he has this year is obviously going into Year 2 in the system is big,” Henry reported shortly after players revealed for workouts six weeks ago. “This system demands a lot on the quarterback position. To have a whole offseason to be in the same scheme and really build on what he did last year, I’m excited to see the jump and progress he can make on a day-to-day basis.”
Maye was the MVP runner-up last year in his first season playing under coordinator Josh McDaniels, completing 72% of his passes with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions in the regular season before dipping in the playoffs against some of the NFL’s top defenses.
Maye possibly improving on his MVP level from last year is one of the top reasons for team-based optimism despite a tougher schedule, which includes seven of the first 11 games on the road.
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The Patriots (14-3 in the 2025 regular season) have a projected win total of 9.5 this year, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. They are 3.5-point underdogs in the Week 1 Super Bowl LX rematch at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 9.
Former NFL quarterback Brian Hoyer shared his experience of being in McDaniels’ system for a second season.
“I always knew the ‘what’ early on in my career, but understanding the ‘why’ came with time. By the end of my time with Josh, I understood the reason for every playcall he was putting in. This year, Drake is going to understand the ‘why’ on the majority of things, which is going to make him play even faster as far as progressions,” Hoyer reported.
“And the wild card with him is just the athleticism. I thought he did a tremendous job last year knowing when to use it. Now, it will become an even bigger weapon because his mind will be sharper knowing what to do. To me, that’s the natural progression.”
Hoyer pointed out a top storyline last year at this point, when Maye was struggling at times in organized team activities and training camp. Then, after a 20-13 season-opening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the hot-button topic among New England media was if Maye had too much on his plate.
“You have to make the Mike [linebacker] point in the running game, you have to obviously learn the terminology of the playbook. It’s like swallowing a hippo. Josh would always say, ‘You can only do one bite at a time.’ So, last year would have been a whirlwind for Drake to absorb all of this,” Hoyer reported.
“To see the growth from, call it last May to the Super Bowl, was really remarkable in my opinion. … Now, he’s going to have all that to build off going into this offseason of OTAs. He’s in meetings; he has extreme ownership over it. Being in the second year in a system is so vital.”
Phase 3 of the NFL’s offseason program begins this week for Drake Maye and the Patriots. AP Photo/Charles KrupaMaye’s ownership of the offense was noted by two key newcomers in recent weeks. Veteran fullback Reggie Gilliam reported after one of the team’s first voluntary workouts, he met with Maye to go over schemes. And receiver Romeo Doubs reported of Maye, “He’s a very poised guy. Very energetic. All about ball. That’s something I really appreciate being around him.”
Hoyer recalled having McDaniels on his “Quick Snap” podcast last December and relayed an example McDaniels shared about Maye’s steady growth. McDaniels told Hoyer and co-host David Andrews that the Cincinnati Bengals had success challenging Maye with different looks, fronts and blitzes early in a game the Patriots narrowly won Nov. 23, and then the New York Giants attempted to do something similar the following week in a “Monday Night Football” matchup.
Maye made the Giants pay in a 33-15 win, specifically on a 33-yard touchdown to receiver Kyle Williams, in which he changed the protection at the line of scrimmage based on a Bengals-type defensive look.
“For him to do that, in a matter of a few weeks — understand what the issues were, get them fixed, and execute them [is impressive],” Hoyer reported.
Maye opens 2026 with a similar challenge after the Seahawks sacked him six times in a dominating performance in Super Bowl LX. But a lot of that will unfold before then, notably starting with Wednesday’s first OTA.
2. Coaching points: Players have reported in recent weeks that one of the competitive parts of the voluntary offseason program is when they are grouped in teams and push what is essentially a weighted blocking sled across the field.
Players see the following words on the sleds:
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3. Williams’ change: Wide receiver Kyle Williams, a high third-round pick out of Washington State in 2025, reported he’s focused on lower-body strength this offseason and has added about 5 to 8 pounds to put his weight in the 190-193 range.
Williams (10 catches for 209 yards, 3 TDs) reported the change ideally helps him coming over the middle of the field. He highlighted consistency, building chemistry with Maye, and playbook mastery as three things he’s targeting in 2026.
4. Hawkins recap: In an appearance on “The Lounge” podcast, safety Jaylinn Hawkins filled in context regarding his free agent process that led him to leave New England after two seasons and join Baltimore. He acknowledged being surprised at not returning as discussions with the team continued when free agency began (hinting the Patriots ultimately chose Kevin Byard over him), while also speaking glowingly about his time with the franchise.
Hawkins mentioned the Cowboys, Texans and Panthers as other teams that he spoke to before zeroing in on the Ravens.
5. They reported it: “Our new guys have been nothing but professional. They fit right into our room. The guys that left, we miss them wholeheartedly. We had such an amazing room last year — we all became really close, and our wives and families became really close. So, it was hard seeing some of them go. But the group we have this year, I’m so excited for; it’s different in all shapes and forms.” — LB Christian Elliss, on welcoming LB K.J. Britt and multiple rookies at the position as Jack Gibbens, Jahlani Tavai and Marte Mapu are no longer on the team
6. Did You Know: If Maye leads the NFL completion percentage for a second straight season, he will become the first Patriots player to accomplish the feat and the sixth NFL player since 1970 to do so, joining Joe Montana (1980-81), Ken Anderson (1982-83), Steve Young (1994-97), Kurt Warner (1999-2001) and Drew Brees (2009-2011, 2017-2019).
