Tuesday Patriots Notebook 4/30: News and Notes
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Some news and notes on this Tuesday:
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye appeared on WEEI on Monday on Jones & Mego with Arcand, with the rookie talking about what it’s been like since being drafted last Thursday night.
The rookie was asked about a potential goal of being the starter to start the season, but Maye said that the most important thing right now is getting to know the guys in the locker room and establishing himself.
“I think that’s obviously the goal for myself and any quarterback coming into the NFL,” said Maye. “But also, I think it’s a great opportunity for me to get in there and learn from Jacoby, learn from the older guys, the other vets around there, and just put my best foot forward.”
“I think for me, just wanted to earn the respect of the guys and get to know them first. But obviously, all that stuff on the field will come after that. So I’m looking forward to help the Patriots anyway. Obviously, that’s the goal, but ready for anything that happens. I think one of the best things about being a 21-year-old coming in there is get ready to learn and just soak it all in. And if I’m the best guy, I think Coach Mayo kind of said that, he said that publicly, if the best guy is going to play.”
“So if it happens to be me, I’m ready to go and if it’s not, I’m going to prepare like it and compete and learn as much as I can from the other guys to get ready to do that.”
The team put together a terrific montage of Maye both from the moment he was drafted, to his trip on Robert Kraft’s private jet as he left Detroit on his way to New England, with the plane flying over Gillette Stadium ahead of his visit.
As the plane passed above, Maye’s girlfriend spotted his name on the scoreboard, which prompted the rookie to take a look out the window.
Maye smiled and snapped a photo on his cell phone, with the two enjoying the moment together.
“That’s pretty sweet right there,” he said, smiling.
He’s a charismatic kid who is certainly a bit of a contrast to former Patriots QB, Mac Jones and the hope is that he can turn the franchise around after a disappointing couple of seasons.
For now, Maye is back in North Carolina after spending time over the weekend getting familiar with what will now be his new home in the coming years. However, the former Tarheel said he’s already been in touch with players to hopefully get some throwing in before the entire group gets back together for rookie mini-camp.
“Yeah, just talking with Ja’Lynn [Polk] and Javon [Baker], and I was just FaceTimeming Jaheim [Bell],” said Maye when asked if he’s made any plans to throw with his new teammates. “So I’ve gotten a bunch of guys. I got to know them, texted them all, reached out. So I think the biggest thing is me going for rookie mini-camp.”
“We’ve got to get going. I think one of the best things about it, kind of bringing us in before is getting us all together and creating relationships and getting to know each other before we all kind of get mingled in with the whole squad. So definitely looking forward to meeting those guys and other great players. So definitely looking forward to throwing with them and seeing what it’s like.”
One of the biggest bits of news on Monday was the Patriots getting an extension done with defensive tackle Christian Barmore, which locks up another key piece in New England’s defense.
The two sides reportedly agreed to a four-year deal, with Adam Schefter of ESPN reporting has a maximum value of $92 million, while Jeremy Fowler adds that his deal will include $41.8 million in guaranteed money.
The Patriots previously extended safety Kyle Dugger earlier this offseason, with both Dugger and Barmore both considered to be key players in a defense that finished 7th in points per game in 2023.
Barmore has been as advertised since the club traded up for him in the 2021 Patriots Draft. The 6’5?, 315-pound standout from Alabama has amassed 133 tackles and 12.5 sacks in his three seasons, including 64 tackles and 8.5 sacks in 2023. He also finished 3rd on the team in 3rd down sacks last season with 2.5, along with a pass defended and a forced fumble.
He’s also extremely tough. Despite battling both knee and shoulder injuries last year that saw him on the injury report every week after he suffered a knee injury in Week two, the veteran missed just one practice all season and was active in every game.
Mike Reiss also noted that this deal will now keep him in the fold through 2028, with Barmore becoming the first player signed through that season.
One position that continues to quietly be a concern is kicker, and it looks like the Patriots went ahead and found one to get a look at out of the group of non-contract undrafted free agents they invited to rookie mini camp.
Mark Morse dug up the group of players the Patriots will grab some intel on, with Laval University’s Vince Blanchard being a player who will try his hand at earning a spot to compete with Ryland ahead of training camp.
Morse noted that the 25-year-old kicker made 74% of his kicks in his career, including hitting 94% last season with a long of 49 yards. In the Championship game he was 5 for 5 on FG attempts. For his career he was 88 of 89 on extra points and was 2nd team All Canadian last year.
Meanwhile, Ryland had a tough start to his NFL career in 2023. Overall, he was 16/25 (64%) last season, which broke down as follows:
Chad Ryland Field Goal Distances:
1-9: 0/0
20-29: 4/4 (100%)
30-39: 5/7 (71.4%)
40-49: 5/10 (50%)
50+: 2/4 (50%)
Total: 16/25 (64%)
The club didn’t address that position during the draft and it appears that Blanchard may be the first of potentially others who may be in the mix.
It’s possible that Ryland takes a step forward heading into his sophomore season, but one would have to hope New England will try to make sure he’s got some competition after a less-than-stellar 2023.
One interesting bit of information that came out of the club’s video of the selection of Ja’Lynn Polk is the fact it appears another team called the Patriots right before they selected Polk at #37 overall. The video shows a call where Wolf talks about moving back from #34 to #37 thanks to their trade with the Chargers, but shortly after, presumably ahead of their time to select the rookie out of Washington, he answers the phone and asks, “Yeah, what have you got?” – only to reply shortly after, “I think we’re probably going to sit here and pick, actually.” The video then cuts to Wolf shortly after talking to Polk, who they obviously selected. As for who or what the offer was, we’ll never know, but it was an interesting peek behind the curtain nonetheless. … Maye was asked about fellow rookie Joe Milton, who he said he’s a big fan of. “Joe’s the man,” said Maye. “I’m a big fan of Joe, and I’m looking forward to just competing with each other. It’s the biggest thing, they make it a competitive room and energy, high energy. I think we all bring that – big personalities, all three of us.” … Maye was asked about both the Bruins and Celtics, and, as a former high school basketball star, he admitted he’s a bigger basketball fan than a hockey fan. He also joked that, “I like to compare myself as off-brand Jason Tatum in my basketball comparison,” said Maye. “So to meet him and some of the guys would be pretty sweet.” … One final note, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald had an interesting stat on Maye in a nice piece on Tuesday. He pointed out that last season, on passes attempted within 2.5 seconds after the snap, Maye threw an accurate ball 78.1% of the time for 1,434 yards, 12 touchdowns, and three interceptions. The hope now is that the club can hopefully put together a solid group of players in front of him to allow that to happen when he does eventually see the field, whenever that might be. … The club did make a personnel move yesterday, parting ways with offensive lineman Conor McDermott. That now puts the Patriots Roster at 88 players.
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