Drake Maye’s evolution in his second season with the New England Patriots has become one of the NFL’s strongest storylines in 2025. The quarterback has put the questions of his rookie year behind him and now leads a team with a 13-3 record, backed by an efficient and explosive offense.
Maye has learned how to control the tempo of games and handle the pressure of third-down situations, earning the full trust of head coach Mike Vrabel, who believes he now has an offensive leader who has erased any remaining rookie doubts.
Just this past weekend, Maye became the third player in franchise history to surpass 4,000 passing yards, placing him alongside Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe. Not bad for a quarterback in only his second season, one who now has his sights firmly set on the playoffs.
Beyond the yardage, other statistics underline his leap in production: 25 passing touchdowns, a 70.9% completion rate and a 108.5 passer rating, numbers that rank him among the league’s most productive quarterbacks.
Should Drake Maye win the MVP?
His performances have positioned him as a strong candidate for the 2025 MVP award, an honor that Vrabel has openly suggested he deserves after giving New England’s offense versatility and balance.
“Well, I certainly – they don’t give me a vote – but there’s nobody else that we want as our quarterback or that I want as our quarterback. To be able to do that, and as the plays go through their progression, somebody asked me this week about progression and different things, and I said, ‘Just throw it to the guy that’s open as soon as you work through your progression,’ and I think he did that. Some really good designs, but also some great execution,” the head coach said after the game.
While Maye has developed a strong red-zone connection with Stefon Diggs, who arrived in New England this season, he also spread the ball around in sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, connecting with Rhamondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry, Efton Chism and Austin Hooper. For Vrabel, that balance is no coincidence.
“Well, I mean, all those guys have played. The wide receiver corps – Chiz (Efton Chism III) has been catching touchdowns on us on Fridays the entire year, so it was good that he got one in the game because he’s caught plenty of them on Fridays. Ben (Brown) did a great job, Vedarian (Lowe) did a great job. Those guys have been in there, and Vedarian’s been in there the last couple weeks, and Ben’s ready to take advantage of his opportunity as always. So we got a great effort from our veteran guys, from Digsy (Stefon Diggs), and certainly from the offensive line.”
With Sunday’s victory, New England secured the AFC East title over the Dolphins, Bills and Jets, powered by an offense that appears well equipped to make a serious push toward the Super Bowl.
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