Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are in the midst of an outstanding 2025 NFL campaign, boasting a league-best 9-2 record through the first 11 weeks of the season.
After beginning the year with the 1-2 record, the Patriots have notched wins in each of their last eight games. Maye, a second-year NFL quarterback, is one of the leading candidates to claim the MVP trophy alongside Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen and Jonathan Taylor.
While Maye and the Patriots have been excellent to this point in the 2025 NFL season, there are still some pointing criticism at the AFC East leaders.
Former NFL MVP Cam Newton recently called New England’s success “fools gold” because of what he views as an easy schedule for Maye and the Patriots.
Newton won his league MVP trophy in his fifth NFL season with the Carolina Panthers. He later served as the Patriots’ starting quarterback for one season in 2020, leading the franchise to a 7-8 record.
To add another wrinkle to this story, Newton was Maye’s favorite player growing up as a Panthers fan in Huntersville, North Carolina.
Maye fired back at Newton’s comments during an appearance with WEEI on Wednesday.
"I don't even know what show he's on," Maye said. "I think they get paid to make remarks and make certain comments. So, I just worry about what people in our organization think, and worry about we think and what my teammates think. People are going to have different opinions. I'm just going out there on Sunday and worrying about ourselves."
Maye is in the midst of a stellar sophomore campaign, completing a league-leading 71.9% of his pass attempts for a league-leading 2,836 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also has 285 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns as a dual-threat signal caller.
Maye and the Patriots will face off against the Cincinnati Bengals in a Week 12 matchup on Sunday afternoon.
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