Unlike his rookie season, Drake Maye knows he will be under center when the Patriots take the field in Week 1 against the Raiders.
Unlike his rookie season, Drake Maye knows he will be under center when the Patriots take the field in Week 1 against the Raiders.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye made his weekly appearance on “WEEI Afternoons on Monday, with the second-year pro touching on topics that ranged from the start of the 2025 season to New England’s breakout rookie Efton Chism III.
Here are three takeaways from his interview:
‘A different kind of juice’
Drake Maye is no stranger to leading New England’s offense out on the gridiron.
While Jacoby Brissett was New England’s starter at the beginning of the 2024 campaign, it didn’t take long for Maye to take the reins as the Patriots’ go-to option under center. The 2024 first-round pick ultimately started 12 games last season.
But, after waiting until Week 6 to get his first start, Maye acknowledged on Monday that the lead-up to the 2025 campaign will be a bit different now that he’s entering the season as the Patriots’ unquestioned starter.
“I think last year, I was preparing and trying to kind of review the call sheet and kind of hit guys here and there as the backup going into Week 1,” Maye said. “I think there’s always a different kind of juice when you’re coming out here as the starter, and you run out there the first snap and juices are flowing and those guys are looking at me, and it’s my huddle and it’s my offense.
“So I think it’s a different feel, and I’m excited. That’s one of the things I’m most excited for, getting out there and getting to start Week 1. And I think with the home crowd, in front of our fans, and there’s a lot of build-up always for Week 1, and I think it’s always good to get out there and show out.”
Finding his footing with McDaniels
Despite impressing during a few competitive joint practices with the Commanders and Vikings, Maye had a relatively subdued showing during preseason action. He went 7-for-12 in two games while also getting knocked for a turnover.
Even with that small sample size, Maye feels as though he’s starting to build a rapport with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“Yeah, building each and every day,” Maye said. “I’m getting more and more comfortable. I think coming into Week 1 with the game plan will be a little different from some of the stuff we run in practice, just because you’re studying the defense and studying stuff that looks good versus them. So, for me, I feel good. I feel like I’m in a good spot. I think the guys are coming to work every day at practice, and right now Coach is working towards Week 1.
“I think just fine-tuning the details, and for me, just going back over stuff that may be simple for me in the past, but just going back over the little things and little protection cues and stuff that may come up that we maybe haven’t seen, just to be on top of my stuff.”
Speaking to reporters after Monday’s practice in Foxborough, Maye acknowledged that some of his up-and-down play during preseason action could be attributed to being too juiced up at the start of games — rather than any growing pains with learning McDaniels’s thorough offensive system.
‘It’s kind of like back in the day playing basketball: find a layup before you start shooting some threes,” Maye said. “I think just whether it’s a good run with the guys up front, the running backs or maybe an easy completion. But other than that, I think it’s just getting out there, and I think that’s part of it.
“Whether it’s going to be jitters or going to be fired up, that’s more what it is, just to kind of calm that. I think, use the guys around me as well. Use the guys around me to kind of feel like, ‘Hey, if they’re pumped up, I’m going to get a little pumped up,’ but when I get out there, be cool, calm and collected.”
A vote of confidence for Chism
New England’s hopes of taking a major step forward in 2025 largely rests on Maye’s shoulders this fall.
But the talented QB will also need a stronger supporting cast to elevate his game, especially when it comes to the receiver corps.
One player who has impressed this preseason has been undrafted rookie wideout Efton Chism III, who has seemingly secured a roster spot for Week 1 after reeling in 12 catches off 14 targets for 121 yards and two touchdowns over two games.
Chism with 6 to put the Pats up!
📺: WBZ pic.twitter.com/zWsWVls2E4
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 16, 2025
Maye has been impressed with what he’s seen from the shifty wideout out of Eastern Washington.
“It’s a great example of a guy coming in here trying to earn a role doing things the right way,” Maye said of the rookie. “Hanging around a veteran — I always see him with Mack Hollins, a guy who’s done it in this league being on a lot of different teams. Just hanging around him. Going through plays. Getting extra conditioning.”
Chism — who made the highlight reel in a preseason win over Minnesota by shedding several tackles en route to a hard-fought touchdown — has become a regular sight in one area of the Patriots’ facilities, according to Maye.
“He’s always in the treatment room,” Maye said of Chism. “I always joke with him — he’s always in there working on his body and getting healthy. I’m like, ‘Good gosh, you’re the No. 1 treatment guy.’
“But hey, that stuff matters. I think at the end of the day, stuff like that, showing up every day and doing things right gets you on the team and gets you on the field. It’s what’s made the Patriots so good in the past.”
Conor Ryan can be reached at conor.ryan@globe.com.