Sunday Patriots Notes: Belief in Drake Maye remains high

A special season for the New England Patriots ended in disappointment Sunday night as they dropped Super Bowl LX 29-13 to the Seattle Seahawks. Now, attention quickly turns to the offseason where the Patriots will look to remodel the roster in hopes of getting over the final hurdle next season.

It’s been a busy week here on Pats Pulpit, with our focus on the conclusion of the Super Bowl loss and locker room clean out day as the Patriots break for the offseason. For anything else not covered previously, let’s clean out the notebook. Welcome to this week’s edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.

Belief in Maye

Drake Maye sat roughly 10 feet to Mike Vrabel’s right. Both at their post-game podiums inside a makeshift tent on the 49ers’ practice fields in Santa Clara.

Maye began to choke up while talking about his head coach. Vrabel, meanwhile, spoke about his quarterback with equal emotion and conviction.

“I’m sure he’s over there talking about all the things he has to do to improve and what he could’ve done better,” Vrabel said. “I care deeply about him. I’m confident they’ll be back and they’ll do everything they can to help this team. We won a lot of football games with the guys we have. Drake’s a big reason why we’re here. I can’t wait to get back and coach him again.”

It was a special sophomore season for the 23-year-old quarterback.

Maye finished second in MVP voting and earned second-team All-Pro honors as he led the NFL in completion percentage (72.0), yards per attempt (8.9), and passer rating (113.5) among many other metrics.

But on sport’s biggest stage Sunday night, he wasn’t at his best.

Facing the Seahawks’ top-ranked defense, Maye was sacked six times and turned the ball over three times. A majority of his 295 passing yards came in the fourth quarter after the Patriots had already punted on their first eight possessions (excluding an end-of-half kneel-down).

Despite the struggles in his Super Bowl debut, Maye’s teammates offered nothing but support for their quarterback afterward.

“Keep going. Steph Curry. Keep going, keep shooting,” veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs said. “He’s 23 years old. It’s a team effort. Come from my standpoint, I wish I could’ve done more. It’s hard playing quarterback. It’s not a one-man band. He has a supporting cast. We needed to do a better job supporting him.

“He’s young, he did what he could, fought long, fought hard… I’m just super proud of him.”

“We riding behind him, win or loss,” safety Craig Woodson added. “That’s the QB1. Man, we gonna rally behind him. He got all our love, support. This is just the beginning. I got full trust in him.”

Maye told his teammates to remember the feeling of Sunday night and use the loss as fuel moving forward — fuel they hope will carry them back to this stage sooner rather than later.

With Maye under center, there is plenty of reason to believe that return will come sooner.

“I love Drake, man,” veteran offensive tackle Morgan Moses said. “Drake is an amazing human being outside of just being a great quarterback, man. He’s literally been our MVP the whole season. As a young player, in year two, it’s undeniable what he’s been able to do this season.

“He put the league on notice that there’s a new quarterback in the AFC that you’ve got to worry about. That’s who he is, man.”

Diggs’ future

Among the top storylines to follow this offseason will be the future of wide receiver Stefon Diggs in New England — one that the veteran acknowledged will not totally be up to him.

“Unless they opt out of the contract, I anticipate being here,” he said following the Super Bowl. “I hope so. Love my guys. Hell of a year playing with them. We built some real family-like bonds, so I hope so. I don’t control it.”

Diggs made a remarkable impact on and off the field in his first season as a Patriot, becoming the team’s first receiver to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark since 2019 while also being a key leadership piece in Mike Vrabel’s locker room. But, a quiet playoff stretch in which he averaged just 27.5 yards per game coupled with a rising cap hit ($26.5 million) could led to New England looking elsewhere next season.

A key date in the process will be Mar. 13, as Diggs has $6 million on his deal become guaranteed.

Difficult decisions

In his final press conference of the season, Vrabel alluded to the difficult decisions the team will have to make this offseason. Diggs’ case likely tops that list.

“There’ll be some difficult decisions that we’ll have to make, and we’ll try to do them with the team’s best interest in mind. As always, that’ll never change,” Vrabel said. “I appreciate what they did and how they came together, all the guys that came in from other places that maybe didn’t start the year with us, and the different path and a different journey that each guy took.”

Beyond Diggs, other tough decisions may have to be made in the wide receiver room as Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, and DeMario Douglas all enter the last years of their contracts. Center Garrett Bradbury, who became another key veteran voice in a special locker room, also falls on that list as he has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal.

Kuhr’s job?

Among the decisions New England will make in the upcoming days and/or weeks is officially naming a defensive coordinator. This one might not fall under the “difficult” category, however, as current defensive play-caller Zak Kuhr is considered a heavy favorite to earn the role after growing in the position this season.

That said, the Patriots will have to go through the league’s process and satisfy the Rooney Rule to officially name a defensive coordinator.

QB continuity

Since Drake Maye became the North Carolina Tar Heels full-time starting quarterback in 2022, he has gone on to have four different offensive coordinators in his next four seasons. So, entering year two with Josh McDaniels in New England is some welcomed continuity for the 23-year-old.

“There’s so much more we can take with this offense and give me more tools and more answers at the line of scrimmage. With my capability to play the position, use my knowledge of the game and learn it from Coach [McDaniels] to get us in the best spot is only going to help us down the road,“ Maye said.

“I’m looking forward to it, getting a chance to be in the – Lord-willing and knock on wood, the same offense for the second year. I’m looking forward to that, and the sky’s the limit for us.”

Armstead’s offer

There has been plenty of discussion about rookie left tackle Will Campbell’s performance in the Super Bowl last Sunday. Several former NFL linemen and offensive tackles have weighed in, with a common theme emerging: the 22-year-old has a bright future but needs to clean up his technique in certain areas.

That group includes former Saints and Dolphins Pro Bowl tackle Terron Armstead. According to NFL Network’s Cam Wolfe, Armstead has volunteered to work out with Campbell in Dallas this offseason.

A strong athlete at the position, Armstead was known for his aggressive pass sets — an area that could benefit Campbell, particularly given his narrower build for the tackle spot.

Offseason goals

Third-round wide receiver Kyle Williams finished his rookie season with just 12 receptions for 225 yards and three touchdowns. The rookie showcased explosive speed and big-play ability, but a group of veteran receivers ahead of him on the depth chart limited both his opportunities and the chemistry he could build with quarterback Drake Maye.

Entering year two, Williams understands how important the upcoming offseason will be and already has a clear plan. At the top of the list is adding muscle to his 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame to improve his play strength. He also wants to sharpen his work at the top of his routes to complement a strong release package off the line of scrimmage.

Message from Jaylen

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown knows what it’s like to be in Drake Maye’s shoes. Brown was on the losing end of the 2022 NBA Finals as the Celtics dropped the series to the Golden State Warriors. That led to him sending Maye a message while on a Twitch livestream.

“Turn all that hurt into fuel, and I promise you, you’ll be better for it,” Brown said. “Level up, come back even better. Could have been an MVP year, should have been an MVP Year for Drake Maye. I stand on that.”

Brown and the Celtics eventually bounced back, winning the NBA Finals in 2024 — a similar script Maye and the Patriots now hope to follow.

Episode four

The New England Patriots’ in-house content team debuted “Forged in Foxboro” this offseason, a three-part series offering a behind-the-scenes look at Mike Vrabel’s first months in charge — spanning free agency, the NFL Draft, the offseason program and training camp.

With the season now complete, a fourth episode is expected to drop, featuring exclusive footage from the team’s postseason run.

Setting up the week ahead

The offseason begins for the New England Patriots, and as Bill Belichick infamously said after winning Super Bowl LI: the Patriots are “five weeks behind” in preparation for next season. It will be a quick transition for the coaching staff and front office, as Mike Vrabel and Co. are expected to be at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis next week.

New England will also begin the process of filling out current/future holes on their coaching staff — perhaps starting with defensive coordinator — and getting to work on any player contracts that need attention.

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