Drake Maye Already Had an MVP-Caliber Year. What if He Gets Even Better?

The New England Patriots are back in the building for offseason workouts. That part is normal. What’s less normal is the weight sitting on Drake Maye’s shoulders after a season that somehow felt both elite and incomplete.

Maye put together a near-MVP regular season in 2025, his second year in the league. The numbers were there. The wins were there. The Patriots rode that momentum all the way to the Super Bowl, where the Seattle Seahawks handed them a loss that was less a football game and more an autopsy. That ending left a taste that won’t wash out with a few spring practices.

Albert Breer at Sports Illustrated recently called Maye the team’s X-factor for 2026, which sounds weird on its face. How is a guy who finished runner-up for MVP an X-factor? Breer’s point is simple: what if Maye isn’t done climbing?

“It would be weird to say that Drake Maye is an x-factor in the Patriots’ season, after a near-MVP campaign in his second year, but here’s a question to ponder: What if Maye finds another level in 2026?” Breer wrote. “It’s something to consider, given Maye’s physical gifts and that he’ll be with the same play-caller in consecutive seasons for the first time since high school.”

That last part matters more than people realize. Continuity at offensive coordinator is rare in today’s NFL, especially for a young quarterback. Maye has been learning on the fly since he got drafted third overall. Now he gets to work in the same system for a second straight year. That’s not nothing.

The Schedule Gets Meaner

The Patriots caught some breaks with their 2025 schedule. A lot of people pointed that out during the regular season, and they weren’t wrong. The path to 13 wins included some soft spots. This year looks different. The 2026 schedule is tougher on paper, and Maye will have to answer questions that didn’t really come up last fall.

Can he handle the pressure when the opponent across the line is consistently elite? Can he carry the team when the running game stalls and the defense gives up points? Those are the questions that separate good young quarterbacks from guys who get mentioned in the same breath as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

New Weapons, New Expectations

The front office did its part this offseason. Stefon Diggs is gone, which was a business decision that made sense for both sides. In his place, the Patriots signed Romeo Doubs in free agency and then traded for A.J. Brown from Philadelphia. That’s a legitimate No. 1 receiver paired with a guy who thrives as a No. 2. The receiving room went from a question mark to a strength in about three weeks.

Now the ball is in Maye’s hands. The excuses are running thin. The talent around him is real, the coaching staff is stable, and the defense is still good enough to keep games close. If Maye takes another step forward, the Patriots could be right back in the Super Bowl conversation. If he regresses even a little, the narrative flips fast.

The pressure is there. It’s just a different kind than last year. Last year was about proving he belonged. This year is about proving 2025 was the floor, not the ceiling.