Some news and notes on this Monday
1) After seeing the 49ers’ situation, give Wolf and the Patriots front office credit on Maye: One of the more interesting storylines this offseason has been what has been going on in San Francisco prior to the report of the 49ers finally getting an extension done with Brock Purdy.
After a long round of negotiations, the 49ers and Purdy agreed to a 5-year, $265 million contract, which includes a no-trade clause and should keep him in San Francisco for the foreseeable future. But for a signing that locks up their young signal-caller, the fan base feels somewhat split on the signing, along with plenty of question marks about the 49ers’ overall future.
When you think back to how they even got here, it’s still pretty mind-blowing considering how badly they blew it before finding Purdy – a former seventh-round pick – to begin with.
For those who believe “anyone could have made the right call on Drake Maye” at #3 overall in 2024, what’s gone on in San Francisco was a reminder that even when you’re drafting that high, it’s not as automatic as people might think.
Heading into the draft, the 49ers had essentially mortgaged their future after making a couple of questionable trades that ultimately landed them near the top of the board in 2021. That essentially signaled their desire to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo and find their signal-caller of the future.
In a draft that included quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and Justin Fields, along with Mac Jones, it seemed like a draft full of options. While both Lawrence and Wilson were off the table, the 49ers seemingly wanted to ensure they had their pick of anyone below those top two selections when they jumped up the board to #3 that offseason.
Unfortunately for the 49ers, they bet all their chips on Lance and ultimately dug a hole that set them back significantly.
Injuries to Lance ended his tenure before it really got started, with his time off the field eventually opening the door for Purdy to surprise everyone by emerging and assuming the role.
The most damning thing for John Lynch and San Francisco’s front office is the fact that series of trades cost them both their first-round pick in 2022 and 2023 essentially left them with nothing to show for it.
Lance was thought by some to be a guy with really good awareness and was expected to thrive working with the right offensive coordinator, which is why the fit with Kyle Shanahan seemed like a perfect match. His scouting report by NFL.com said that, “An offensive coordinator willing to blend his run/pass talent with a play-action attack could get the most out of Lance, who should become a good NFL starter.”
So far, Lance has yet to reach that potential, with the former North Dakota State standout sitting with an overall record of 2-3 as a starter. After getting shipped off to Dallas in a trade, he’s since landed with Sean McVay and the Rams this past offseason.
Either way, it’s a reminder that even drafting that high, the likelihood of hitting isn’t necessarily a given. Despite the accolades coming out that Lance got, and the experts who believed he was among the better names available in that draft, that hasn’t been the case.
Looking back, the Patriots could very well have gambled on another name last April or even traded back, given that so many had questions about Maye’s footwork or his readiness to excel at the NFL level.
Instead, by all accounts, Eliot Wolf and the front office’s due diligence leading up to the draft last year seems to have paid off, at least when it comes to the quarterback. Maye’s poised to hopefully follow up a solid rookie showing with an even better performance, and the hope is that he’ll take a big step forward this year under new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Add the 2025 draft haul we saw this offseason with Mike Vrabel, Ryan Cowden, and John Streicher each in the fold, and the Patriots are the ones right now who feel like they have the brighter future.
For the 49ers, for them to have botched things that badly, it’s definitely one of the reasons why they’re at where they’re at. Some bad decisions have already seen them squander two championship opportunities, and that window feels like it’s closing as they continue scrambling to try and give Purdy enough talent for them to have one more shot to get back there one more time.
Like the Patriots, San Francisco also took 11 players in April’s draft, with the hope of infusing some playmakers back into their offense. They’ve already seen plenty of turnover, and the hope is that they’ll replenish what had been a pretty talented group.
Here in New England, after the additions of Will Campbell, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kyle Williams, and the signing of Stefon Diggs, the hope is that Maye will get better protection up front, along with having some playmakers of his own to make some noise in 2025.
But it’s an interesting look at how one team seems to have gotten it right with a #3 pick, while another has botched it so terribly. While the 49ers do have Purdy, there’s still a lot of doubt about his ceiling and whether or not he can improve, especially in pressure situations where ESPN’s Nick Wagoner pointed out Purdy has a 54.6 QBR (20th in the NFL) when his team is behind late in the contest, including throwing five interceptions compared to just three touchdowns.
Maye’s in a similar situation, as he’s already gotten some criticism locally coming off his rookie year. He’s a player who has thrown seven touchdowns and three picks in the first half of action, while throwing eight touchdowns and six picks in the second half.
Maye has thrown seven touchdowns and three picks in the fourth quarter, but that critical interception in the overtime loss in Tennessee is one people definitely remember, despite the fact that it also came after the miracle throw he made to even get them there.
That clutch gene is what everyone hopes he’ll have, and we’ll likely learn more about him this season. But for now, even in the unlikely event Maye was to flame out, unlike the 49ers, it didn’t cost New England multiple first-rounders to find that out.
For two teams that took a shot at #3 to get their signal caller, the future here definitely feels a little more hopeful as the Patriots continue preparing for the 2025 season.
2) Tough Offseason for Stevenson: Things have been fairly quiet when it comes to running back Rhamondre Stevenson, and Mike Reiss recently revealed that Stevenson has dealt with tragedy this offseason.
According to Reiss, Stevenson lost his father back in March at the age of 54, although the details behind his passing haven’t been revealed. His obituary also didn’t contain much about his passing.
A terrific article by the Boston Globe’s Nicole Yang in 2022 talked about how proud both his mother and father were when the Patriots selected him that year. With Rhamondre being one of seven children, the two worked unbelievably hard to help him realize his dreams, and he was incredibly grateful for what they endured to help him get there.
“They believed in me more than I believed in myself,” Stevenson told Yang at the time. “Them always pushing me to be great, telling me I could actually do it, and putting that thought in my head, it made me believe it at one point.”
He also acknowledged them the previous year ahead of when he was finally selected. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the sacrifices of my family,” Rhamondre Stevenson told the Las Vegas Sun’s Ray Brewer. “They raised me right. They kept me motivated.”
Stevenson reportedly hasn’t been around the facility, but Reiss wrote that his teammates are ready to support the veteran running back when he does return to the stadium.
3) Weeks 5-7 Could Tip The Scales: The Patriots have an opportunity this season to potentially get off to a 3-1 start, thanks largely to the fact they kick off the year with three of their first four games at Gillette Stadium against teams like Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, and Carolina, each of which they’re on somewhat of an even playing field with.
They could even possibly go 4-0 if they can pull off a road win down in Miami in Week 2, which would definitely get them off on the right foot and set them up for a possible playoff push.
However, how weeks 5-7 go could certainly damper those expectations. Over that three-game stretch, the Patriots have to play three consecutive games on the road, with match-ups in Buffalo (Sunday Night Football), New Orleans, and Tennessee each on tap for Mike Vrabel’s football team.
Betting expert Adam Chernoff posted last week on X that in that scenario, it’s a tough stretch for any team. Overall, he pointed out that, “Teams in their third-straight home game are 36-19 (65.5%) compared to teams in their third-straight road game, who are 8-17 (32%) in that scenario.
Reiss also pointed out in his Sunday column that New England is just one of three teams that will face three consecutive road games this year, with Baltimore and Tennessee facing the same challenge. However, what makes it even more interesting is that the Titans’ first home game coming off their stretch happens to come against the Patriots, who happen to be New England’s third-straight road opponent.
But if the Patriots can come out of the other side of that span with a winning record, it would absolutely put them in a strong spot heading into the back half of the season.
They’d have a chance to do some damage at home against both Cleveland and Atlanta, which would allow them to build some additional momentum as they get ready to play teams like the Bengals, Bills, and Ravens, all of which could have playoff implications should they find themselves in the mix.
This is definitely a year where it feels like anything can happen, it should be one of the more enjoyable years we’ve had after two-straight seasons that have ended with the team firing its head coaches.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
Anyone judging Maye’s “clutch time” play in the 4th QTR based on last year is filling radio talk time with hot air. Felger, Mazz went down that path. Any QB faced with game situations being “must pass” down a score late, with that 2024 Pats o-line and reciever cast, would be near doomed in that spot. Maye did better when the D didn’t know if the pats were calling run vs pass. Overall, Maye played well under pressure fairly consistently. At times he was brilliant. He made a few bad throws, but not many even on a veteran grading scale.… Read more »