The New England Patriots saw a ton of great things out of Drake Maye during his rookie season.
While it wasn’t perfect, as the rookie still went through a few ups and downs and the Patriots struggled as a whole, Maye still stamped his place down as the franchise quarterback of the future in New England.
And now, it seems like Maye might be taking the next step in his progression as a leader in the Patriots locker room, according to some of his teammates.
Patriots wide receiver Demario “Pop” Douglas is the latest to speak highly about Maye’s development as a leader, noting that the quarterback is “definitely running everything.”
“He’s been making a lot of progress,” Douglas said. “He’s definitely a leader in that locker room … If y’all met Drake, he’s pretty cool, but he’s definitely becoming that leader. He definitely running everything.”
When pairing together the standout physical traits Maye presents with a newfound leadership quality his pass catchers are clearly taking note of, it could be the combination necessary for the Patriots quarterback to turn into a superstar-caliber player.
Last season, he showed that upside in the stat sheet too. He finished the season playing 13 games and posting 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on an impressive 66.6% completion rate. Entering the 2025 campaign, he’ll have a better supporting cast, an offseason of development on and off the field, and with it, perhaps a major step in the right direction for his overall progression.
And of course, a huge beneficiary of those steps would be Douglas, who had a career-best season in 2024 when paired with Maye, securing over 600 yards and three touchdowns, but could be on the verge of an even better year of production in year three, especially if he’s already showing that early strong chemistry with his young quarterback.
It’ll be an exciting year for this Patriots offense, and it all starts with Maye. In the eyes of Douglas, he’s more than willing to carry that weight.
