Patriots Fans Will Love ESPN’s Drake Maye Vs. Jayden Daniels Take
The bottom-line results for Drake Maye’s rookie season with the Patriots don’t stack up at all with what Jayden Daniels did with the Washington Commanders in 2024.
But what about the eye test?
Maye gave more than enough reason for Patriots fans to believe there are brighter days ahead. However, the Patriots went 4-13, and the North Carolina product was only really under center for the entirety of one of those victories.
Compare that with Daniels, who went 12-5 while throwing 25 touchdowns and just nine interceptions en route to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and a top-10 finish in MVP voting. He also took Washington to the NFC Championship Game.
However, ESPN’s Ben Solak says it’s not as simple as looking at the stat lines or even the standings. Solak thinks Maye did enough, especially in a bad situation, to set himself and the Patriots up for success moving forward.
“The Commanders’ fan base and team brass should feel confident and inspired about the future of the position,” Solak wrote. “However, I’m still as — if not more — impressed by how well Drake Maye played on that terrible Patriots offense last season.
“Statistically, he didn’t hold a candle. But degree of difficulty? Maye was playing a completely different sport. I’ll put it this way and hope metropolitan D.C. doesn’t come for my head: Patriots fans should feel as confident and inspired about their future at quarterback as Commanders fans do right now.”
It’s a pretty fair take. The Commanders did a much better job of surrounding Daniels with pieces to help him flourish. Dan Quinn is a respected, veteran head coach who hired an established offensive coordinator in Kliff Kingsbury. The Patriots saddled Maye with Jerod Mayo and his shotgun arrangement with Alex Van Pelt. We all know how that went.
Washington also had two dynamic playmakers in Brian Robinson Jr. and Terry McClaurin, who were far better than whatever the Patriots rolled out, not to mention the overall depth Washington boasted over New England.
The Patriots learned their lesson. Despite viewing Mayo as a son, Robert Kraft offered a mea culpa and fired the coach after just one season. The longtime owner brought in Mike Vrabel, who instantly raised the floor of the operation. Josh McDaniels will do the same with the offense in his return to Gillette Stadium. New England also made it a point to upgrade at its two biggest weaknesses: offensive line and receiver.
We’ll get a chance to revisit this debate in August when the Patriots host the Commanders for joint practices ahead of their preseason debuts.