Josh McDaniels Reveals When He Knew Drake Maye Was For Real
Maye has turned himself into an MVP candidate in 2025
The New England Patriots are in the middle of a 10-game win streak, and a big reason for their success in 2025 has been the play of second-year quarterback Drake Maye. One guy who has played a big role in helping Maye turn himself into a de facto MVP candidate is offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
In his third stint as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, McDaniels was brought in by head coach Mike Vrabel to help Maye take the next step forward in his development. Through 13 games, Maye has thrown for 3,412 yards and 23 touchdowns, so it’s safe to say so far, so good in that department.
Maye flashed his potential quite frequently as a rookie in 2024, so his star turn isn’t necessarily a major surprise. It didn’t take McDaniels long to recognize that he could have a star on his hands, as he picked out one specific play from training camp that helped him realize what Maye was about.
“There was one in training camp where there was a broken play, and he scrambled to his right … He threw it, and it had to be like 60 yards,” McDaniels said on “The Schrager Hour. “Pop’s running down the sideline, and I’m like, ‘There’s no way he can get the ball to this guy, right?’
Pop scores, and the place goes nuts. I kind of looked around like, ‘Did anybody else see that? That was nuts.'”
It’s still very early in his career, but Maye appears to be well on his way to turning himself into the complete package at the quarterback position. He’s poised beyond his years, can recognize what opposing defenses are throwing at him, and has the ability to hit any throw he wants.
The work McDaniels has done with Maye so far has been exceptional, and this duo will look to continue taking New England’s offense to new heights. That will be very important in Week 15, because a difficult matchup against the Buffalo Bills awaits this team.
