FOXBORO — Drake Maye’s elite play has stolen headlines as the Patriots have ridden an eight-game winning streak on the way to a [9-2 start](https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/11/20/callahan-the-boring-secret-behind-the-patriots-stunning-9-2-start/), but his leadership has also taken a second-year leap.
Head coach Mike Vrabel pushed Maye to become a better leader in his second season throughout the offseason, and players and coaches have seen it blossom first-hand.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Thursday that he’s seen Maye’s leadership and confidence improve “quite a bit.”
“He was very well aware of his standing, but he also wanted to go out there and win, and kind of bring that along with him,” McDaniels said. “And I think it’s a lot easier to lead when you’ve had success and you’ve been a significant contributor to that. And everybody knew he was the quarterback. Everybody loved his personality. He’s got incredible character and relationships around the building. I think he wanted to be patient enough with that to try to have some success, so he could really step forward as a leader, and he’s done that.”
Center Garrett Bradbury, who already had a relationship with Maye before signing this offseason through his brother-in-law, Jackson Kowar, who played college baseball with Maye’s brother, Cole, at Florida, also saw Maye develop his leadership throughout the offseason while he learned McDaniels’ new offense.
“I think as you’ve seen him understand the offense more and have more success, you’re starting to see that more leadership role come out. I mean, we’ll do whatever he says. Coach Vrabel’s told that to him, and we all know that. It’s just the more reps you get, the more you’ve been in the fire a little bit, just the more confident you get to be, if you need to snap on someone, you can snap on someone, but, he does a good job. You can tell he wanted to earn guys’ respect before he started barking orders,” he said.
McDaniels has witnessed it as Maye has worked with teammates to improve certain aspects of the offense.
He’s also seen a change in Maye’s tone.
“His volume – you can always tell when a guy is really confident and really pushing, because you can hear him,” McDaniels said. “And he leads in the huddle. He leads out of the huddle. He leads on the sideline in between practices. You’ll see him after a series. Sometimes I’m looking for him, because he’s walking up and down the sideline and he’s communicating with his teammates, which I think is really important. They need to see him. They need to feel him.
“I know Vrabes is adamant about that, too, and he’s done a really good job of understanding his role in that. So, I think we’ve seen a lot of things grow for this young man this year, and certainly as a leader, it’s been very impressive.”
Maye’s fellow co-captain, special-teams ace/safety Brenden Schooler, has also seen a tone change in Maye this year.
Schooler also credits his teammates with buying into what Maye is selling as a leader. He also believes Maye’s increased leadership plays a part in the team’s current standing, tied atop the AFC.
“He is the commander of the offense when we’re out there,” Schooler said. “Like, if Drake tells you something to do, like, just do it, all right? And so guys are buying into that too. I think it’s a two-way street. Like, you got to be willing to listen to somebody, then that somebody also has to be willing to command it. So to be able to see his progression from last year to this year has been awesome.
“I think it’s played a huge role in what our record is, and how well our offense has been playing.”
There have been a few moments in press conferences and in the locker room this year when Maye has carried more of a command and swagger than he showed last season as a rookie.
The young quarterback likes to make sure that teammates get to the team bus after road games in a timely manner.
When left tackle Will Campbell interrupted Maye’s press conference [after Thursday night’s win](https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/11/14/patriots-teammates-crowd-back-drake-mayes-mvp-case-in-win-over-jets/) over the the Jets, the QB saw him and told him, laughing, “Man, get outta here rookie.” During one of Campbell’s mid-week media scrums last month, Maye walked past him and told him, “Smile more, big country!”
And Maye isn’t only giving it to the Patriots’ rookies. Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs told the media on Wednesday that he had been playing with a broken finger. When that was relayed to Maye, the young quarterback joked, “Stef’s probably dramatic. Every time he lays on the ground and acts like he just got hit by an 18-wheeler or something.”
“I grew up the youngest of four boys. It’s always been a part of me to give people a hard time and be the instigator,” Maye said Wednesday. “That’s kind of my personality. The more you get to know me, the more it comes out.”
Talking smack is common in any NFL locker room, but Schooler has heard more of it from Maye this season.
“I think he’s doing a little bit more of that this year than he definitely was last year, just like with the circumstances of last year and everything that went down,” Schooler said. “But this year, it’s been awesome to see him finally, like, be himself and give guys a hard time, like joke back and forth, have good banter, but also be that steady rock for our offense.”
Maye’s not the only one dishing it out, either. Wide receiver Mack Hollins said after Thursday night’s game that he and Diggs use sarcastic digs to motivate each other.
“I think we all feed off that, in a way,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “We’re all pretty sarcastic and like to give each other a hard time. You got to have thick skin in this locker room and any locker room in football.”
It’s not just Maye’s leadership that his teammates enjoy. It’s also his personality.
Henry and tight end Austin Hooper both said that they like that Maye is the same person everyday.
“That’s what I love about Drake. He’s not going to try to manufacture anything,” Hooper said. “He’s just going to be himself. And the best ones I’ve been around are just themselves. They don’t let anyone else try to mold them into something else.”
The Patriots’ offense ranks top 10 in points and yards this season. Maye ranks first in yards and completion percentage and top five in most other major passing categories.
Leadership is harder to quantify, but Maye’s teammates clearly respect their quarterback and are following his marching orders.