Drake Maye makes feelings clear on the pressure of playing for Tom Brady's 6x Super Bowl Champion team
For Drake Maye and the New England Patriots, this was always going to be a learning season. A new franchise quarterback always brings hope, but needs time to develop; but the most stark change happened on the sidelines, with long-time head coach and 6x Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick departing the team.
No one expected the Patriots to be contenders in 2024 for many reasons. Maye became the starter against the Houston Texans in Week 5, and he continues to improve every week. But for every New England quarterback, it's impossible not to be compared with Tom Brady, who won six rings with the franchise.
But the young quarterback doesn't think that this adds any pressure to his development, considering it a privilege to play for the franchise:
“I wouldn’t call it pressure. I think it’s a privilege. You work your whole life to get to this moment, and I think once the moment comes, you shouldn't lose sight of the fact that this is what you dreamed about. You dreamed of playing in the NFL, and I think having that pressure turns into a privilege, and hopefully gets this thing rolling"
After Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Patriots drafted a quarterback in the first round before. Mac Jones joined the franchise in 2021, but poor performances led to him being traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cam Newton, Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe also started games for New England since Brady left the franchise.
Drake Maye's stats in the 2024 season
With an uninspiring wide receiver group, and an offensive line that allowed the fifth-most sacks in the league (43), he's still playing at a good level, although there's a long way to go before he blossoms into an elite quarterback.
In nine games in 2024 (eight as a starter), Maye has 1,696 passing yards, a 67.2% completion percentage, 11 passing touchdowns and just eight interceptions, along with a 2-6 record as a starter. He took over from Jacoby Brissett, who started the first five weeks of the season and put together a 1-4 record before being moved to the bench.