New England Patriots
“Nothing worse for an offense than negative plays.”
Josh McDaniels and Drake Maye aren’t resting on their laurels after last year’s unexpected Super Bowl run. Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe
FOXBOROUGH — Drake Maye’s ascension as a legitimate MVP candidate played a key role in the Patriots’ unexpected run to Super Bowl LX last year.
But even after finishing as runner-up in said MVP voting in 2025, the 23-year-old QB isn’t resting on his laurels ahead of his third season in the NFL ranks.
Speaking after Wednesday’s minicamp practice, Maye said that the Patriots’ coaching staff has made a concerted effort toward limiting critical miscues moving forward.
“The best thing that we kind of have been trying to focus on is limiting negative plays,” Maye said Wednesday. “Negative plays in this league put you behind the chains, whether it’s in the red zone, in base downs, and just trying to stay ahead of chains, and knowing that it was really on me to put us in good plays, get us out of bad plays, and stay ahead of chains.”
Maye was the conductor of an explosive and efficient Patriots offense last season — recording 31 touchdowns and 4,393 passing yards while completing 72 percent of his throws. He also gained 450 yards on the ground with four rushing touchdowns.
But Maye and the Patriots were prone to a few critical miscues in 2025 — with Maye knocked for eight interceptions and eight fumbles during regular-season action.
His stellar play also took a hit during the playoffs, as Maye threw six touchdowns over four postseason matchups with four interceptions and seven fumbles.
Some of that dip in play was a direct result of New England’s offensive line taking on water in the playoffs. Maye was sacked a whopping 21 times over that four-game stretch.
But, McDaniels echoed a similar sentiment as Maye earlier on Wednesday when asked about the steps that New England’s offense must take to build off of last year’s promise.
“Nothing worse for an offense than negative plays,” McDaniels said. “They put you in bad situations, and we saw that last year. When that happened to us, it’s hard to overcome those things. I don’t care who you are. We’re trying to do what we can at each position, not just at quarterback, but certainly he has a say in all of those.
“And so I think his comfort level, I think his maturity and understanding of how bad those things are for the offense, I think that’s taken a huge step forward. He understands it, he gets it, and so through that, hopefully we’ll be much improved in that area when we get to the regular season.”
Beyond the growth that Maye showcased this past season, this offseason has been one of stability for the young QB, who had a different head coach and offensive coordinator in each of his first two years in the NFL.
“I think it’s just naturally night and day from last year this time,” Maye acknowledged when asked of building a rapport with McDaniels. “I was trying to get things right, trying to get guys knowing where I was making calls and getting guys lined up. Now we’re just taking the next steps. That’s the best thing about this time. You get to work on those things and also work on executing. That’s the best thing Coach McDaniels does, pushing me hard.
“He’s challenging me, and just trying to get comfortable here in OTAs, and getting comfortable with just doing things, being out here and just making throws. There’s a reason and there’s a why to it. That’s the best thing about Coach McDaniels. He’s so good about explaining why and helping me get to know that why, so I can play faster.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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