When it comes to New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, fans certainly have high expectations. Some even believe that the playoffs may indeed be in play for the Patriots this season.
But in terms of how the “experts” view him, Maye seems to quietly be flying under the radar this offseason.
In the latest ESPN 2025 quarterback rankings, Maye found himself on the outside looking in from their Top 10, with the Patriots QB also not making their “Honorable Mention” list.
They had the overall top group ranked as follows:
Top 10:
- Patrick Mahomes, KC
- Josh Allen, BUF
- Joe Burrow, CIN
- Lamar Jackson, BAL
- Jayden Daniels, WA
- Matthew Stafford, LAR
- Justin Herbert, LAC
- Jared Goff, DET
- Jalen Hurts, PHI
- Baker Mayfield, TB
Honorable Mention:
- C.J Stroud, HOU
- Jordan Love, GB
Most of that list isn’t surprising, although Daniels coming in at #5 was definitely eye-opening. Daniels had a solid rookie season, but to put him ahead of some of those names feels a little too high.
Maye being left out of the top 10, given the current group of quarterbacks in the NFL, isn’t entirely shocking. Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal appeared on NBC Sports Boston Monday night and provided his own rankings, with Giardi ranking Maye at #19, just ahead of Bo Nix.
Giardi’s top 10 had essentially the same names just in a slightly different order, with the list from 20-11 being the one that would be the better comparison.
He had that second group as follows:
20) Bo Nix, DEN
19) Drake Maye, NE
18) Trevor Lawrence, JAX
17) Tua Tagovailoa, MIA
16) Kyler Murray, AZ
15) Brock Purdy, SF
14) Geno Smith, LAS
13) Jordan Love, GB
12) Baker Mayfield, TB
11) C.J. Stroud
Those rankings feel fair. Last year was certainly a rough group on offense, and Maye didn’t have quite the same talent that he’ll have this year.
The coaching staff also didn’t exactly do him any favors, and one thing that hasn’t gotten much discussion is just how bad the defense performed last year.
That group allowed 25 or more points in eight games last year, including two where they gave up 40+. All but one of those games happened after Maye took over the starting role in Week 6.
Maye has taken some heat this offseason for only coming away with one win as a starter last season. However, given the fact that he was frequently playing from a significant deficit, there is definitely some context there.
Giardi gave his thoughts on the ranking, noting that he believes Maye should move up that list depending on how things go this season.
“All right, we’ll start with why he’s 19, because we just don’t have enough evidence,” explained Giardi. “I mean, he made it through 11 games last year from start to finish, right? Won one of those. He’s got two other wins to his credit, but those were Jacoby Brissett jobs that he got done after Drake Maye went down. There’s certainly been great flashes, but it’s a roller coaster, and you expect that with young players.”
“I don’t think they surrounded him as well as they needed to. I think maybe we could have a similar argument as we go into this year as well. But to me, there’s enough there to believe that he’s on the up and there’s a potential to climb up those rankings. And then when I look at someone like Bo Nix, I know Bo Nix, 29 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, threw for like 4,000 yards. That’s an awesome year. Bo Nix physically is not capable of doing what Drake Maye does. Bo Nix had Sean Payton, who’s one of the best offensive minds in football, crafting that for him.”
“I’ll tell you this right now, the Bo Nix that you see is probably about as good as the Bo Nix is going to be over the course of his career. Maybe he becomes the 14th or 15th best quarterback. I think Drake has a much higher ceiling if he reaches it.”
He’s definitely got a better group to work with. Early impressions of draft picks Kyle Williams and running back TreVeyon Henderson appear to be positive. Both guys look like explosive players, which was certainly lacking in 2024.
Stefon Diggs should draw attention, hopefully opening things up for guys like Demario Douglas and whoever else ends up as part of that group. The offensive tackle position should also be better after the additions of first-round pick Will Campbell and free agent Morgan Moses.
With that in mind, the groundwork is in place for Maye to have a better 2025. If he takes care of business, he’ll likely find himself a little higher among this group this time next offseason.
And if all goes well, it will also potentially see the Patriots playing with some of those teams next January.
(Portions of the above appeared in a recent daily news article.)
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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.
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