When Tom Brady decided to leave the Patriots after the 2019 season, besides being shocking, it meant that whoever ended up becoming the next quarterback for the franchise would be stepping into an undesirable role that not many would choose.
Following in the footsteps of the greatest of all time would not be easy, and that was certainly the case for Cam Newton and Mac Jones.
The former Panthers quarterback felt like the right guy for the job, as a polarizing figure in football who had unfortunately become used to unwavering criticism throughout his career. He handled the often unruly coverage of the Patriots with poise and a positive attitude, which went a long way in his short stint with the team.
Then it was Jones’s turn to take the reins, starting as a rookie and labeled the next franchise quarterback. Those shoes became too big for the young quarterback, which wasn’t entirely his fault. But it made for another failure by the Patriots to find the quarterback of the future.
The hope is that Drake Maye will be that guy, as the third overall pick in this year’s draft and the first quarterback of the new regime post-Belichick. Besides earning rave reviews for his college career, he’s continued to impress on and off the field throughout the spring and is looking like he will put up more of a fight to be the starter this season than most anticipated.
One of the more noteworthy people he has impressed is Brady himself, who shared what he sees in Maye during a recent interview with Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.
Tom Brady offers strong words of advice for Drake Maye’s career with Patriots
Now that he’s diving headfirst into his broadcasting career, Brady is more openly speaking about things related to football, especially the Patriots.
Last week, he was asked about his former team and what he sees in Maye and his future. Brady spoke highly of the quarterback and emphasized how important his development will be as soon as this fall, even offering him some advice.
“I’m very fortunate to be around him and I like him a lot. I’ve heard great things about him. But his opportunity is going to be really what he makes of it and how he wants to develop it and how he wants to attack his profession — like we all do. It’s not where you’re at when you’re 22. It’s who you’re around when you’re 22. Who inspires you to be better? Who develops you?
I was so fortunate. I look at my career, I was looking around at other competitors like Peyton Manning, like Steve McNair, Vinny Testaverde was playing for the [New York] Jets. Brett Favre was playing.
The competition was tough. My coaches were tough. I had to grow and develop. I would want those guys to have the same thing, I just don’t see it the same way I saw it back then… There’s a lot of reasons why. I would like to see the game become aware of it– then we need to put some things in place to make those changes.”
It’s a solid review of what’s to come for Maye in his career with the Patriots and in the NFL, which might not start this year if Jacoby Brissett remains the starter.
That might be the best-case scenario for Maye, who’s coming onto a team amid a rebuild from top to bottom and is set to have one of the hardest schedules in the NFL in 2024. Sitting behind a veteran quarterback, much like Brady did, might be more beneficial to his long-term development than anything else.
The good thing is that he looks to be in good hands, with Jerod Mayo making the calls and the new coaching staff that will join him on the sidelines. Maye is already impressing with his skills on the field and his natural leadership, so he’s got a more solid start than many quarterbacks in his position might at this stage of his career.
