Patriots’ Drake Maye Earns End-Of-Season Honor Over Matthew Stafford

Drake Maye will enter the fold for most major awards after a superb second season. The New England Patriots quarterback received the first of potentially many nods on Wednesday.

Next Gen Stats named Maye to its 2025 NFL All-Pro Team. The only Patriots player selected, Maye beat out MVP competitor Matthew Stafford for the roster’s lone quarterback spot.

Next Gen Stats explained why it named Maye its top signal-caller based on advanced data.

“Maye and Matthew Stafford each made outstanding cases for the title of top quarterback in the NFL this season, but the Patriots’ second-year star elevated his team to such a degree that he gained the edge,” Next Gen Stats wrote. “Maye was the first QB since Patrick Mahomes in 2018 to generate +200 EPA on his passes, finishing with +203.1. He was a completion machine despite a high degree of difficulty, leading the NFL with 112 downfield completions and 99 completions under pressure. As a result, Maye’s 72% completion rate was +9.1% over expected, the highest mark by any QB in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016).”

Maye beats Stafford in most efficiency categories, posting a higher completion percentage and yards per pass attempt (8.9) with a superior quarterback rating (113.5). They each finished with eight interceptions, but Stafford tallied a league-leading 4,707 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns, 15 more than Maye.

Stafford ended the regular season as a betting favorite to win MVP for the first time in his 17th season. But Maye will garner plenty of support for the prestigious award as both quarterbacks prepare for playoff action this weekend.