After back-to-back 4–13 finishes, the New England Patriots went in guns blazing in the 2025 NFL Draft to prevent a repeat — and, more importantly, to get the most out of Drake Maye, arguably their best quarterback talent since Tom Brady.
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While they aced the draft with savvy picks like Will Campbell and TreVeyon Henderson, it’s the return of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels that might be the real game-changer for Mike Vrabel & Co. — or at least that’s what Patriots legend Julian Edelman believes.
McDaniels’ return to Foxborough marks his third stint with the Patriots, bringing not just institutional knowledge but also a deep understanding of quarterback development forged during the Bill Belichick era. Edelman, who spent nearly his entire career catching passes in the veteran OC’s offense, believes that McDaniels’ best attribute — his adaptability — will be a massive boon for the young quarterback.
“Josh is really good at getting on those pages with the quarterback,” Edelman said as he credited McDaniels for molding his system around vastly different signal-callers, from the pocket-passing Tom Brady to Mac Jones to even Cam Newton’s more mobile style.
“We changed our offense completely [for Cam], and we were productive with it,” the Patriots legend pointed out.
But Edelman didn’t just stop at playbook design. He got into the details, specifically Drake Maye’s footwork. The three-time Super Bowl winner noted that last season, Maye often got off balance with defenders constantly collapsing the pocket.
“Drake got hit way too much last year… his feet were all over the place,” Edelman observed. That, he believes, will change under McDaniels, especially once the Patriots establish a run game and fix the offensive line.
.@Edelman11 joined the show and broke down how Josh McDaniels’ system will elevate Drake Maye’s game and why he’s ALL IN on LSU OL Will Campbell pic.twitter.com/eXBlAx24WQ
— 4th&1 with Cam Newton (@4thand1show) April 28, 2025
The former wideout also gave Maye a bit of homework: dive into the old Tom Brady tapes. “Watch Tom Brady’s old film because that’s the offense you’re going to run,” Edelman advised.
While many would see this suggestion as nostalgia talking, it has to be noted that no one better than Julian Edelman knows how detailed and precise the McDaniels-Brady system was. So it’s unsurprising that he wants Maye to absorb those habits from day one.
That said, with new weapons like Will Campbell at left tackle, TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield, Kyle Williams at receiver, and Jared Wilson bolstering the line, the pieces are finally falling into place for Mike Vrabel & Co. But whether it clicks depends largely on one thing: can Josh McDaniels bring out the best in Maye the way he once did with a sixth-rounder named Tom?
If Julian Edelman’s instincts are right, we may be witnessing the first chapter of a new Patriots era. And this time, they’re hoping it starts with a real foundation, not just a flash in the pan, like it has been, in Bill Belichick’s final years!
