No one is suggesting that you run out and plonk down the mortgage on Patriots quarterback Drake Maye winning this season’s NFL MVP award, that should be clear. And in a season in which teams and players across the board have largely been “meh,” finding one’s name among the leaders for the best player in the NFL award should be taken with a grain of salt.
Especially for the Patriots, whose schedule has been Charmin-soft.
But having said all that, the fact is, Drake Maye has already found himself, through seven weeks of the season, in rare air when it comes to MVP chatter, sitting just below the top tier of favorites–leader Patrick Mahomes, reigning MVP Josh Allen and Bucs star Baker Mayfield. That’s according to BetMGM’s futures, where Maye is at plus-1,000, but it’s the same at FanDuel (plus-700) and at ESPN Bet, Maye is actually tied with Mayfield for No. 3, at plus-700.
Drake Maye Leads in Passer Rating
Even considering the caveats, that ranking is a pretty major breakthrough for a 23-year-old player in his second season, working for a team that is coming off back-to-back 4-13 seasons. In seven games, he has thrown for an average of 249.1 yards per game, with a 75.2% completion rate and 12 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
He has not thrown a pick since Week 3 vs. the Steelers.
Maye leads the NFL in quarterback rating, at 116.4, and Pro Football Focus currently has him graded as the No. 4 quarterback in the NFL, with a mark of 87.3.
Patriots Getting Leadership
But anyone who has watched this team can also see has has brought a different edge to his game, that he is much more confident in being a leader, despite being among the youngest players on the roster. Maye has exuded a certain level of calm and know-how that belies the fact that he is just 23 and played only 26 collegiate games as the starter before coming to the NFL.
“There is a lot of demand there from Josh (McDaniels) and myself and I think he’s responded to that as far as the leadership that he’s had to show this offense,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said of Maye.
“Kept talking about he wants to earn it. Well, I told him that he’s earned it. I think he doesn’t like something in practice, then he gets it fixed. If he wants a better Friday practice, he talks about it before we go out there on Friday. I think those guys respond to him and the things that he says and the way that he operates.”
(Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots
Patriots’ Drake Maye a ‘Newcomer to the Top Five’
At The Athletic, the MVP odds were examined this week, and Maye’s fourth-place ranking was taken with some surprise.
The site noted: “We have a newcomer to the top five: Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Maye opened in 20th in the odds at +6600 (66-to-1) and was in seventh last week at +1800 (18-to-1). His odds shortened again to +1000 — good for the sole spot in fourth place — as the Patriots stretched their win streak to four with a 31-13 victory over the (granted, absolutely terrible) Tennessee Titans.
“On the season, Maye has 1,744 yards (eighth), 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. The Patriots have two wins against teams with winning records (Buffalo and Carolina), but still need to prove they are at the caliber of an MVP candidate’s squad.”
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