One of the biggest questions over the past five years has been how a young quarterback here in New England might look with a high-end target.
For Drake Maye, it appears he’ll be the lucky one who will get to experience that heading into 2026.
While Mac Jones had Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Meyers, and Kendrick Bourne as his list of top targets, it’s safe to say that Maye’s group this season certainly exceeds that.
Maye will take the field in 2026 with A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, Henry, Eli Raridon, and whoever wins out between Demario Douglas and Efton Chism. Kayshon Boutte might also be a factor, although his future is in doubt as he remains a trade candidate.
But comparing the two, Maye’s group is certainly more talented and he also beats Jones in a landslide when it comes to his own talent. The former North Carolina is simply a more physically gifted player, with Maye able to make all the throws at every level of the field with relative ease. That’s something Jones couldn’t – and still can’t – do, with his inability to hit the perimeter being one of the things that ultimately remains his biggest obstacle after teams started figuring that out following Jones’ terrific 2021 season.
For Maye, he doesn’t have that problem. That’s what’s going to make having someone like Brown so interesting to watch.
As good as Stefon Diggs was last season, Brown is a bigger, stronger target and he’s a more physical player than Diggs. He also arrives with the Patriots with familiarity with his head coach, having had the advantage of working with Mike Vrabel previously in Tennessee. That chemistry already brings an element Brown talked about last week as he watched his coach work with his new teammates.
“No, that was this morning,” said Brown in his press conference when asked about any surreal moments from his first practice. “That was this morning when Vrabe’s was getting on Will Campbell. He was getting on him, man. He was saying, he was like, ‘Don’t leave, I’m about to get to my best part.’ And I was like, ‘I’ve been around you a million times. I know what you’re about to do to him.’ You know? And so, that’s when it kind of just started to set in, and I’m around Vrabe’s.”
Brown vs Diggs: Height/Weight
- Stefon Diggs: 6’0″, 191-pounds
- A.J. Brown: 6’1″, 226-pounds
One other key difference for Brown is that he’s playing for a quarterback who is arguably a better player than Eagles signal-caller Jalen Hurts. Hurts is a big athletic player but when it comes to him as a passer, Maye has him beaten by a mile. Reading defenses and making throws at every level were what stood out with Maye’s growth in 2025, with the second-year QB taking a massive step forward coming off an already impressive rookie campaign.
With Hurts, he’s had his struggles. He’s been terrific when it comes to downfield throws, but when things are tight in the middle of the field and those longer opportunities aren’t there, that seems to be his weakness.
Now Hurts will be without one of his top targets, with Maye being the beneficiary of Brown’s services for 2026. Brown got to see his new QB up close last week, and he’s been impressed by what he’s seen both on the field, and in the meeting room.
“Everything, man. I was watching him today,” said Brown last week. “Obviously, I’m learning the plays and getting out there with him. He can make any throw. He’s very poised.”
“Today in the meeting, I would say he kind of took over the meeting. Josh [McDaniels] was speaking and he kind of cut Josh off, not in a rude way, but he just kind of took over. It says so much from a young guy to know what he’s talking about, number one, and to lead, and to be the voice of this team. So when I heard that, I was like, ‘Wow, that was impressive.’”
“You know, obviously, I heard great things about him, but that part alone tells me a lot about him and how much he loves his job, and he studies and everything.”
Bigger Opportunities Ahead With Maye?
For a player like Maye who has been so successful pushing the ball down the field, Brown has to be excited with the potential he and his new quarterback have in 2026.
Maye’s someone who has terrific vision and can put the ball anywhere on the field. He’s the type of quarterback where, if he sees an opening, even if it’s tight, he can fit it in there and he’s a player who trusts what he sees.
Meanwhile, that hasn’t been the case with Hurts. It’s also reportedly part of the reason why the frustration began to build for Brown, with ESPN reporting that Hurts struggles to see the field were what kept him from targeting Brown against zone coverage if the windows were tight.
That’s been something that has been a topic of discussion in Philadelphia. Hurts has been someone who doesn’t always trust what he sees and that’s part of the reason why it seemingly took adding Saquan Barkley to take that pressure off of him.
With Barkley, Hurts was able to distribute the ball and Philadelphia won a Lombardi Trophy largely thanks to Hurts playing mistake free. Barkley gave them an incredible ground game and the result was an unbelievable season, with the Eagles absolutely manhandling Kansas City in the Super Bowl to cap off that incredible 2024 campaign.
Last season, Barkley looked a little more human and when asked to do more, Hurts wasn’t quite able to deliver.
Maye hasn’t had that problem. While he also spent much of 2025 being smarter with the football after his own turnover struggles in his rookie year, we saw moments throughout last season where quite a few big plays came thanks to Maye’s vision and his arm strength. There were also plenty of tight throws that he made which also included impressive ball placement.
Those are things Eagles fans haven’t seen consistently from their quarterback. Now, with Brown gone from their offense, more will fall on Hurts’ shoulders this year and that may not bode well given that Hurts has already had some frustrating moments, even with Brown in the fold.
It says so much from a young guy to know what he’s talking about, number one, and to lead, and to be the voice of this team. So when I heard that, I was like, ‘Wow, that was impressive.’-
A.J. Brown
Brown an Upgrade Over Diggs
As for New England, the addition of Brown is definitely a solid one in terms of what he’ll bring to the team in 2026. He’s younger than Diggs, and in theory should potentially be a little less worn down later in the season.
That was an issue with Diggs last season, although it’s not hard to understand why. Diggs was a year removed from a serious knee injury and older veterans are typically the ones who show the most wear and tear after a 17-game season.
The further they go into the playoffs, they oftentimes aren’t as lethal as they were during the regular season. For Diggs, that was certainly evident over the final couple of games of the 2025/26 postseason.
As it was, the veteran caught just 6 passes on 11 targets (54.5%) for 56 yards and a touchdown over the course of the Wild Card and Divisional rounds, the lowest completion percentage among Patriots pass catchers with at least 4 targets. Of those six receptions, only three moved the chains.
In the AFC Championship and Super Bowl, both Denver and Seattle did a good job of limiting him to short gains and kept him in check. Diggs caught 8 passes on 9 targets for just 54 yards over that span, with his 6.8 average being the second-lowest among Patriots targets ahead of Austin Hooper (5.0 avg).
Of those eight receptions, Diggs had just 1 first down.
One of the things that made Diggs so good was that while he’s not the fastest player, he’s smooth and shifty, especially as he slips into the open field. But by the end of last season, some of that speed dropped off and every catch felt like it was a grind, and that hurt them in the Super Bowl.
Having added Doubs prior to Brown’s arrival, the former Eagle has plenty of talent around him and that should make his job a little easier. With someone like Maye delivering the football, that tips the scale even further. That’s part of the reason why so many people feel this is definitely one of the better New England Patriots offensive units we’ve seen in recent memory.
They’ve got the tools, and they’ve got the talent. Now the only question is what Brown can do now that he’s got this new opportunity in front of him, and whether or not his health might be a factor.
His final response last week essentially said it best.
“You’ll see,” said Brown, before walking off to close out his press conference.
With just over a month before training camp opens, it’s yet another reason to be excited for what might be ahead in 2026.
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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.
