Last spring, the Herald’s Page One celebrated “MAYE DAY.”
Robert Kraft referenced the headline when introducing Drake Maye to Patriots Nation at Gillette Stadium.
This season, however, it’s more “mayday” than “Maye Day” on Route 1.
“Mayday” is the universal distress signal — used by sailors, pilots, and first responders when the situation teeters on calamity. Someone inside One Patriot Place needs to send that indicator regarding the Patriots’ second-year quarterback.
Maye must be protected at all costs elsewhere because no one on this roster can do it. The Patriots lack a left tackle and a true No. 1 wide receiver.
As Gisele Bündchen so eloquently stated: “My husband cannot throw the (expletive) ball and catch the ball.”
Neither can New England’s new favorite son, Drake Maye.
Given the state of the Patriots’ roster, sitting Maye this season until reinforcements arrive may be the best long-term option for both him and the team.
Even with Josh McDaniels running the offense, it’s clear the Patriots either don’t believe in Maye — or aren’t willing to invest in building an offense that gives him a real shot at success.
Spare me the Red Sox-esque spin about how they were “in on” Cooper Kupp, Chris Godwin, or any other receiver who can both hold on to the ball and find the first-down marker.
Yes, Godwin took $20 million less to stay in Tampa Bay. But why didn’t the Patriots offer him $25 million more? Godwin admitted he seriously considered their offer. They just didn’t give him enough financial reason to keep thinking.
Kupp wanted to stay on the West Coast but still entertained an offer from New England. Again, the Patriots failed to offer enough money to Kupp. Their cup remained half empty.
Then there’s D.K. Metcalf. Maybe he’s still bitter that the Patriots passed on him in the 2019 draft to take N’Keal Harry. Metcalf landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers — a cold-weather team in a high-tax state without a starting quarterback at the time. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since January 2017. But they gave Metcalf a $150 million contract extension and threw in second- and seventh-round picks to close the deal with Seattle, while also gaining a sixth-rounder.
The Patriots? They weren’t even in the conversation.
Why?
Because, apparently, every potential deal in New England must pass through the analytics department. The Krafts have yet to realize that to land a big-name skill-position player, you must be irrational. That means taking a deal that doesn’t necessarily make financial sense but certainly makes football sense. (See the Bengals.)
Everyone has a price — especially in the NFL. Markets aren’t wrong when someone is willing to meet that asking price. If you don’t land the talent, it’s not them — it’s you.
We’ve seen this story before with the Red Sox since the Mookie Betts salary dump.
It’s no coincidence that the Patriots’ original sin — losing Tom Brady — happened just five weeks after Betts was shipped to the Dodgers. Two billionaire owners refused to meet the financial demands of their best player, and neither franchise has even partially recovered.
Five years and two days after Brady’s departure, the Patriots lie in shambles.
Bill Belichick has become a carnival sideshow act. Once mocking “Snapface,” he now plays Instagram wingman for his 23-year-old girlfriend, who also serves as his social media director and chief of staff.
The 72-year-old coach ruled the Patriots dynasty with an iron fist. Now he demands that all emails to him at UNC be cc’d to his nubile boo.
God bless modern medicine.
Belichick has given cover to every NFL owner who chose not to hire him for the 2024 season — including the one who fired him.
Robert Kraft isn’t off the hook, either.
Kraft chose the untested Jerod Mayo to replace Belichick, reportedly because they bonded on a trip to Israel — among other reasons.
The Patriots’ so-called “brain trust” then completely mishandled Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The moment the Patriots determined they would select/or be left with Maye, the entire focus of the franchise should have shifted to building a team that would allow him to develop, thrive, and meet the expectations that come with such a high pick.
Instead, they pretended Jacoby Brissett was a legitimate QB1.
The Kraft Family cash was flameproof. They failed to strengthen the offense to support Maye.
Choosing not to invest in top-tier free agents, failing to build around a first-round quarterback, and hiring a coach clearly not ready for prime time — let alone 1 p.m. on a Sunday — led to another 4-13 season.
The Patriots entered this offseason in a mammoth hole. Robert and Jonathan Kraft operated the steam shovel to dig it.
We lobbied the Patriots here to hire Mike Vrabel a year ago. Under Vrabel’s direction, 9 of the Patriots’ first 14 free-agent signings were defensive players, including defensive tackle Milton Williams ($63 million guaranteed), cornerback Carlton Davis III ($34.5 million), and linebackers Robert Spillane ($20.6 million) and Harold Landry III ($26 million).
A resilient defense might be the best protection any quarterback could ask for.
But the disparity on offense remains flagrant.
Wide receiver Mack Hollins got a one-year deal worth up to $10.5 million. Right tackle Morgan Moses secured $11 million guaranteed. And the Patriots cut center David Andrews — the only remaining position player from their last Super Bowl-winning roster.
QB Josh Dobbs was a surprising addition.
Maybe he’ll be this year’s version of Brissett — another sacrificial quarterback while the future of the franchise waits for a real offense to take shape around Maye.
What’s another 4-13 season, anyway?
_Bill Speros (@RealOBF and @BillSperos on X) can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com._
Originally Published: March 19, 2025 at 4:18 AM EDT