It might be July, it might be the start of Maye’s third NFL season and head coach Mike Vrabel’s second season coaching the Patriots, but the urgency is very clear.
“I think you’re just shooting yourself,” said Maye, who will lead the Pats into the NFL Super Bowl kickoff against the Seahawks. “You know, we start with Week 1. I think that speaks for itself in the rematch. So I think we’ve got to bring our ‘A’ game, and it starts in camp. It gives us a great mindset for camp to get things going early and firing on all cylinders. So we’ve got a tough job, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Maye was the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and impressed as a rookie, but was sensational as a sophomore. Finishing behind the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford in MVP voting, Maye threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns and led the NFL in completion percentage (72.0), yards per attempt (8.9), QB rating (113.5) and QBR (77.1). He added four TDs and 450 yards on the ground.
The going got tougher in the postseason, but Maye hit the ground running when he wanted his team to the big game. In the end, however, Maye and the Patriots fell short, so messages of continued growth are abundant.
For Maye, who is still only 23 years old, establishing himself in a leadership role is important.
It’s something Vrabel hammered home last year, and Maye realizes that will have to be the focus for him going forward as he quickly and surely becomes a quarterback.
“The biggest thing I kept saying last year was like, ‘I feel like I need to do something in this league before I start,'” Maye said. “And they kept pushing me and saying, ‘You’ve got to expect that to happen. So I definitely got more comfort in that area of pushing the guys and I think I need to do that more — celebrate, be louder and show my personality more. I think the guys see that naturally. So I think that’s what camp is for and you build through it and get to new levels. That’s the best thing about spending every day, all day with whether another.”
Maye wasted little time Saturday in starting the new year for the Patriots, going deep on the team’s most valuable offseason addition, wide receiver AJ Brown.
With Brown facing standout cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Maye didn’t hesitate to challenge Gonzalez and go for the new WR1.
“I think I had to,” Maye said. “One on one there with Gonzo. I was going to try to start camp with a little bit of a bang, but I had to pitch better for him.”
There will be many more Maye-to-Brown throws to come. Although the two didn’t connect in Saturday’s first attempt, the message from Maye to start fast is clear.
The surprise success story of 2025 is looking for sustained success out of the gate in 2026.