After taking him with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the former Tar Heel in Drake Maye is proving to be as advertised for the New England Patriots. Despite this only being the sophomore season of the 23-year-old’s career, he’s currently the betting favorite to take home the regular-season MVP award through the first 10 weeks of the 2025 regular season.
Advertisement
Maye has been nothing short of an absolute gem for New England, especially when it comes to those deep ball passes, but according to the three-time Super Bowl champion, Mark Schlereth, the first-year head coach of the Patriots, Mike Vrabel, along with the rest of the coaching staff, is more than deserving of their own recognition as well.
“They are exceptionally well coached under Mike Vrabel. And you can say what you want about Josh McDaniels as a head coach, but as an offensive coordinator, that dude knows what he’s doing. They are so good, and it’s interesting to watch Drake Maye and how they are operating as an offense,” he said.
Schlereth also highlighted the “natural progression” that is occurring in New England. Again, he believes that Vrabel and co. Deserves some credit for that, as he believes that they are “allowing” that to happen for Maye rather than forcing it.
The UNC product may not be leading the league in any major stat category, but he was prior to Week 10, and with an 8-2 record, his numbers are still sufficient enough to warrant some favoritism in the MVP race. Maye’s pass completion percentage of 71.7% is still the second highest in the league, his 2,555 passing yards are the third most, and his 19 passing touchdowns are the fourth highest total so far.
He’s also managed to keep the turnovers under control, having only thrown five interceptions throughout the first 10 weeks of the season, which is currently the 16th fewest among all starting quarterbacks. Pair all of that 113.9 passer rating, which is also the fourth best in the league, and you seem to have the recipe for an MVP favorite.
Maye has also completed 35 passes of 20+ yards, a total that is second only to that of Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold. From the passing game to their play calling, the aggression of this Patriots offense is a night-and-day difference from last season, and in the words of Maye himself, “you’ve got to love it.”
“I think I love it. You love your head coach that wants to be aggressive. Fourth-and-one, going into halftime, go for it and good things happen. That’s what these guys have started to get adjusted to and I think we embrace it.”
Maye and Vrabel will have seven more opportunities to prove that they are the deserved favorites to take home the MVP and Coach of the Year awards this offseason. Given the fact that they are already being booked as -11.5 point favorites against a divisional opponent in the New York Jets this week, it seems safe to say that they’ll likely see their odds shorten even more after Thursday night is over.
