New Patriots Center Has Unique Connection To Drake Maye

The new Patriots center Garrett Bradbury has a unique familial connection to New England’s franchise quarterback Drake Maye.

“I love Drake so far. It’s a weird family connection,” Bradbury explained to reporters on Thursday at Gillette Stadium, per team-provided video. “My brother-in-law is a baseball player and played with his brother Cole at Florida, and they’re best friends. So, I was going through the free agency process, they were all like, ‘New England, New England, New England.’ So I got to know him a little bit.”

The Patriots’ offseason workout program began on Monday. Bradbury said his wife and daughter were not in New England for OTAs, giving him plenty of time to get to know his new teammates, including some “competitive ping pong battles” with Maye.

“There’ll be some battles in the future,” Bradbury joked. “He likes to golf, so we’ll probably get on a golf course. It’s getting to know the guys. It’s building relationships, connections. So, I’m looking forward to that the next couple of months.”

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound eight-year veteran will play an essential role in Maye’s development under new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Bradbury believes he and Maye will share the responsibility of making changes at the line of scrimmage this season.

“I think it’s a combination. I think Drake will have a lot, but I think Drake’s ready for that,” Bradbury said. “They wouldn’t put a lot on his plate if they didn’t have belief in him.

“I think he’s a really smart young player, and it will only help him grow. I think sometimes you can just try and take a bunch off of the quarterback’s plate, and it’s like, sure, let’s make it simple for him. But, I think the more that’s on his plate, the more that you can understand.”

Bradbury continued: “The bigger picture, he can understand what everyone’s doing and get everyone in the right place. So, there’ll be certain times where we all want to work together, right? But, that’s an important position. You gotta have that position figured out. And from everything I’ve heard, they do here.”