Making life easier for would-be franchise quarterback Drake Maye is the priority for returning offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and a special package of particular plays could hold the key to the success of the New England Patriots’ system in 2025.
The idea comes from Ted Nguyen of The Athletic. He outlined the ways McDaniels can streamline a notoriously complex offense to better suit the talents of second-year signal-caller Maye.
Those talents include Maye being a dynamic runner. It’s not something McDaniels had to account for when Tom Brady was at the controls for the best part of two decades, but a rushing quarterback will be part of the Pats’ offense this year and in the future, either by accident or design.
Fortunately, “McDaniels also catered to other quarterbacks, including Cam Newton, and ran a creative option offense that was hampered by Newton’s injuries at that late point in his career,” according to Nguyen.
As Nguyen put it, “With Maye’s athleticism and the lack of proven weapons, I wouldn’t be surprised if McDaniels installed a small option package for him.”
An option-based offense makes sense for Maye and is also how McDaniels turned the Patriots’ last would-be saviour at QB1 into an instant hit.
Patriots’ Option Package Perfect for Drake Maye
Although he enjoyed his biggest successes calling a traditional, dropback offense for Brady, McDaniels is no stranger to using option-style concepts. He dialled up 32 RPOs for Mac Jones in 2021, per Pro Football Reference, helping the rookie earn a Pro Bowl berth after leading the Pats to 10 wins.
While run-pass options worked for Jones, they stood out more when McDaniels called them for Cam Newton a year earlier. The 2015 NFL MVP still had his dual-threat skills when he arrived in New England, and McDaniels unleashed them with plays like these highlighted by Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS Media.
These same concepts can work for Maye, who averaged 7.8 yards per rushing attempt in 2024. His deceptive speed and imposing 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame make him a punishing weapon in a designed quarterback running game.
The Patriots would be foolish not to make those attributes key parts of the playbook. A great starting point would be the “speed option” concepts McDaniels has called in the past, per Kyles.
McDaniels can’t design the same template he had with Brady and use it for Maye. The latter is a more versatile athlete with a greater inclination to trust his physical gifts and off script to salvage broken plays.
An option package will suit Maye’s tendency for ad-libbing, but his ultimate progress under McDaniels will be judged in more conventional ways.
Josh McDaniels Can Also Specialize Drake Maye’s Passing
If McDaniel is going to use an option package to add specificity to New England’s ground game, he can also be more particular about how the Patriots attack defenses through the air. Nguyen pointed out that will involve a shift from the days “when the Patriots didn’t throw the ball downfield a ton but focused on quick to intermediate passing.”
Maye’s arm talent and more gung-ho instincts mean the Pats should look to take the top off coverage more often. McDaniels can make it happen thanks to what he did “when the Patriots acquired Randy Moss in 2007, Brady had the highest average air yards per attempt (AY/A) of his career (9.42). The Patriots were calling deep option routes for Moss that they didn’t have in the playbook before. As the Raiders’ head coach, after McDaniels and company acquired All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, quarterback Derek Carr had the highest AY/A (9.2) of his career.”
Finding the right vertical element among this receiver group doesn’t need to be a problem. Not when 2025 NFL draft third-round pick Kyles Williams is a natural field-stretcher who’s already made people take notice this offseason.
Williams gives the Patriots sudden-strike capability from anywhere on the field, while incumbent Kayshon Boutte has straight-line speed any deep passer would love. Yet, what the Patriots really need is for 31-year-old All-Pro Stefon Diggs to rediscover his best form.
The veteran’s arrival has been marred by a controversial off-field incident involving a video of the wideout on a boat passing an unidentified substance to female partygoers. Diggs’ future with the Patriots already looked in doubt, but he was at OTAs on Monday, June 2.
He was “active” during team drills, according to The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, who saw the workout as positive for Diggs’ recovery from a torn ACL.
Getting Diggs back to his four-time Pro Bowl peak, along with targeting Williams early, will make the passing game more expansive. Combined with a package of option concepts, McDaniels’ latest offense will be successfully geared to Maye’s flair for the big play.
It will also look a lot different than the pedestrian unit that’s blighted the Patriots since Brady left town in 2020.
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