Drake Maye Alarms Patriots Fans With Aaron Rodgers ‘GOAT’ Talk

Drake Maye made his NFL debut in Week 3, which meant the Patriots rookie briefly faced off against Aaron Rodgers.

New England's "Thursday Night Football" matchup already was out of hand when the rookie came in for Jacoby Brissett, and Maye's outing showed how far away the team was from supporting the No. 3 overall pick.

But Maye did get to shake hands with Rodgers after the Patriots' loss to the New York Jets, and he had a unique way to give respect to Rodgers.

"I’m waiting for the GOAT," Maye told NFL Media's Mike Garafolo while waiting for Rodgers to finish his postgame interview with Amazon.

A Patriots quarterback who doesn't think Tom Brady is the GOAT? That was the thought that immediately came to mind for fans, but they should probably take a deep breath first.

"I realize this is being taken a certain way and I’m usually the captain of Team There Can Only Be One GOAT but Maye was merely recognizing Rodgers as a great QB," Garofalo posted on X. "Wanted a moment to show his appreciation and got it. Respect for the game and those who came before. I dig. Goodnight."

It might have been a rookie mistake from Maye, but let's not confuse things. The North Carolina product never wasted time praising Brady. This is what he said after he got drafted by New England.

Tom Brady's the GOAT. It's easy to say that. He's the best to ever play this game.

There you have it. Maye acknowledged Brady was the GOAT, but Rodgers also was his boyhood idol, so he wanted to give respect the best way he knew how. Patriots fans shouldn't get too worked up over a small interaction.