As the Patriots head into the 2025 season with a new head coach and upgraded roster, there’s no question who will be starting at quarterback.
That’s different from last season, when Drake Maye, then a rookie, was competing for the top spot with Jacoby Brissett. Brissett, who started the first five games of the season, is now gone, which frees up Maye to take on a more commanding leadership role.
That’s shown through early in the offseason workout program with Maye pushing his teammates during drills. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was moving a weight sled next to Maye this spring, and the starting QB pushed him to go longer.
“The confidence is there, maybe even more confidence,” Bourne said. “He’s just, obviously he’s gonna be in a new system. So I think he’s in that process. He’s learning. But the confidence is there. Drake is a competitor. When we do certain things, like his competitive spirit is starting to show more, in my opinion, which I love. Coming out of that shell you know he’s gonna become a vet. So I think that’s what he’s embracing. He understands. He’s familiar with what to expect, what to feel, and that just creates a better, confident quarterback going into Year 2. …
“It creates us to be better. We want to beat each other in a race, or whatever it is, conditioning and things like that. When you do things and he just competes, and you love to see that from the quarterback.”
Maye was one of few standout performers for the Patriots last season, completing 66.6% of passes for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding 421 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Maye is learning a system that Bourne is already comfortable in with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels returning. Bourne had the best season of his career in his lone year under McDaniels, when he caught 55 passes for 800 yards with five touchdowns in 2021.
It’s a crowded wide receiver room this offseason, however, with Bourne competing for snaps and roster spots with veterans Kayshon Boutte, Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas and Mack Hollins, second-year pros Javon Baker, John Jiles and Ja’Lynn Polk, 2025 third-round pick Kyle Williams and undrafted free agents Demeer Blankumsee, Efton Chism and Jeremiah Webb.
Maye will be backed up by veteran QB Joshua Dobbs and UDFA Ben Wooldridge this spring.