Drake Maye doesn’t only appear to be blossoming into a legitimate franchise quarterback for the Patriots.

The highly talented quarterback might be turning into a great leader in New England as well.

During the first half of Sunday’s Patriots-Bears game in Chicago, FOX Sports’ Laura Okmin relayed a report from New England’s Week 10 preparation that highlighted Maye’s continued development.

“This week was a big step for Drake,” Okmin said. “He was frustrated with how practice went — didn’t think they were as locked in as they needed to be. So, he asked Alex Van Pelt if he could address the offense for the first time. Alex said, ‘The floor is yours.’ He said it was his first time he got in front of the offense. Alex said, ‘Great response. Everyone really reacted well to it.'”

Maye deserves credit for how quickly he earned his teammates’ respect. Patriots players seem to rally around Maye, which surely factored into the coaches’ decision to make a quarterback change going into Week 6.

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The 22-year-old still has a lot to work on, but the early returns on the third overall pick in the 2024 draft must be highly encouraging to everyone at One Patriot Place.

Featured image via Mike Dinovo/Imagn Images