The first day of OTAs didn’t follow the script for Drake Maye and the New England Patriots. Not in terms of the second-year quarterback looking like a franchise passer.
Instead, Maye was a turnover machine during the early portion of the first session on Tuesday, May 20. Maye’s rough day included tossing four interceptions, including a pair to Patriots shutdown cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
As MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels pointed out, “Maye’s tough start was unusual.” It was out of character because “Last spring, Maye threw three total interceptions during five open practices between OTAs and minicamp. In his first training camp, he threw five total interceptions in competitive drills.”
The difference is “On Tuesday, he threw more interceptions in two 11-on-11 series than he did all last offseason. There is going to be a learning curve for Maye as he learns Josh McDaniels’ system.”
That last reference to Maye needing an education in a new offense is significant. Josh McDaniels has returned for a third tour as coordinator, and while his schemes took Tom Brady’s game up a level and made Mac Jones a Pro Bowler, Maye’s freelancing talents could be an awkward fit.
It’s why the way Maye finished the opening day of offseason work was great news for the Patriots.
Drake Maye’s Education Off to Tough Start
The McDaniels offense was too much for Maye to grasp early on with takeaways coming in bunches for the defense. His quartet of picks were broken down by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Two of those interceptions occurred when Maye was throwing to rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams. The third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft has been touted for big things, but Williams was also “Not home on a throw to the flat,” according to NBCS Boston’s Phil Perry.
Maye and Williams failed to connect when New England’s QB1 overthrew the first-year burner and found only Gonzalez, per Daniels. It was another gaffe on a gruelling first day for Maye getting to grips with the McDaniels system.
His is a playbook packed with a bit of everything, and McDaniels wasn’t shy about loading up the unit during Day 1. As Perry described, there was “A potpourri of looks, as you might expect given his history. Zone and gap concepts in the running game. Reverses. Fake reverses. Screens. Heavy personnel groupings. Empty sets. Short stuff. Deep stuff. Lot on their plates early.”
Maye had a hard time adjusting to it all, but he took his lumps and recovered well as the session progressed.
Patriots QB Finished Strong in Josh McDaniels’ Offense
Making mistakes is part of the learning process, but it was important for Maye to finish strong. He did so by sharpening his range and hitting some key concepts later in the day.
His best work included a “Corner route dropped in the bucket to Kyle Williams. Back-shoulder throw reeled in nicely by Javon Baker with Christian Gonzalez on him. Deep ball (no defense) to Jeremiah Webb that was dropped,” according to Perry.
Finding his comfort level with the staples of this offense should be Maye’s goal for these OTAs. He’ll need to listen and absorb all he can from McDaniels, a process that’s begun in earnest based on this photo snapped by Daniels.
What Maye needs to grasp is how best to operate an offense traditionally suited to more conventional, drop-back and pocket-based passers. Maye is something different thanks to his mobility and off-script skills.
Getting Maye used to the conventions of his offense without eliminating the 22-year-old’s talent for playing off platform is the challenge for McDaniels. It will be easier when Maye has top targets Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, both of whom weren’t available to participate on the first day of OTAs, at his disposal.
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