It’s been a long, weird road for fans in Foxborough. Honestly, ever since number 12 left for Florida, the question of who's the patriots quarterback has felt like a moving target. We had the bridge years, the "maybe this guy" years, and the outright "I can't watch this" years.
But as of January 2026, the answer is definitive. It’s Drake Maye.
He’s not just the guy under center anymore; he’s arguably the best player on the team. After a rookie year where he sat behind Jacoby Brissett for the first five weeks, Maye has completely taken the keys to the franchise. If you haven't been following closely this season, you’ve missed a historic turnaround. The Patriots just finished the 2025 regular season with a 14-3 record, a massive leap from those miserable 4-13 seasons we just survived.
Why Drake Maye is different
A lot of people think all high draft picks are created equal. They aren't.
Maye stands 6-foot-4 and weighs about 225 pounds. He has that classic "first guy off the bus" look, but it's the way he moves that actually scares defensive coordinators. Last season, he didn't just throw the ball; he used his legs to bail out a line that was, frankly, struggling at times. He rushed for 450 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
When a play breaks down, he doesn't just panic and throw it into the dirt. He creates.
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He's basically turned into the dual-threat weapon the AFC East wasn't ready for. During the 2025 campaign, he led the entire NFL in completion percentage at a staggering 72%. Think about that. Nearly three out of every four passes he threw found a target. That’s not just "game manager" stuff—that’s elite efficiency.
The stats you probably missed
If you're looking for proof that the who's the patriots quarterback debate is dead, just look at the 2025 stat line.
- Passing Yards: 4,394
- Touchdowns: 31
- Interceptions: 8
- Passer Rating: 113.5
The 31 touchdowns are the most a Patriots quarterback has put up since Tom Brady in 2017. It feels weird even saying that name in the same sentence as a kid who’s only 23 years old, but the numbers don't lie. He was named a second-team All-Pro this month, narrowly losing the first-team spot to Matthew Stafford.
He also developed this weirdly perfect chemistry with Stefon Diggs. Yeah, remember when Diggs was a Bill? Now he’s New England’s WR1, and he and Maye have been torching secondaries all year. In their regular-season finale against the Dolphins, Maye was surgically precise, going 14-of-18 for 191 yards just to seal the deal.
The Mike Vrabel factor
You can't talk about Maye without mentioning Mike Vrabel. When Vrabel took over as head coach, the culture shifted almost overnight.
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Vrabel has been vocal about Maye’s work ethic. He recently told reporters that the kid is "never satisfied," which is exactly what you want to hear from your franchise leader. The team just beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in the Wild Card round on January 11, and now they're staring down a Divisional Round matchup against the Houston Texans.
It’s funny, Maye’s first-ever career start back in 2024 was actually against those same Texans. They lost that one 41-21. This time around, the vibe is completely different.
Who else is in the room?
While Maye is the undisputed king of the depth chart, the backup situation has stabilized too. Joshua Dobbs is the primary backup—the "Passtronaut" himself. He’s a smart vet who can play if Maye gets nicked up. Tommy DeVito is also around, usually as the third-stringer or inactive on game days.
The team also experimented with some undrafted guys like Reed Wooldridge over the summer, but he recently ended up in the UFL draft. Basically, the Patriots have stopped throwing spaghetti at the wall. They found their guy, and they've surrounded him with enough competence to keep the ship upright.
What’s next for the New England offense?
The immediate focus is the Texans on January 18. Gillette Stadium is going to be loud. It’s the first time the Pats have had a home playoff game with this kind of Super Bowl buzz in over half a decade.
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If you're watching the game, keep an eye on how Maye handles the blitz. One of the wildest stats from this year is that he had the highest passer rating in the league when under pressure (102.6). Most young QBs crumble when a linebacker is in their face. Maye just seems to get better.
Also, look for the deep ball. Maye completed over 53% of his passes that traveled more than 20 yards in the air. That’s a massive upgrade from the dink-and-dunk offense fans were forced to watch a few years ago.
The search for who's the patriots quarterback is officially over.
It’s Drake Maye’s team now. The "baby steps" are over, and the playoff run is very much for real. If you’re a fan, you should probably get used to seeing that number 10 jersey in the highlights every Monday morning.
To keep up with the postseason, you should track the injury reports for the offensive line this week. Maye's success depends heavily on keeping him upright, and with the Texans' pass rush coming to town, the status of Will Campbell and Mike Onwenu will be the biggest factor in whether the Patriots advance to the AFC Championship.