The term sophomore slump is used a lot in the NFL. Oftentimes, the rookie quarterback will have a great year, but fail to meet expectations in their second year. Take Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix, for example. They both looked great as rookies and were expected to be top-10 QBs in 2025, but have both dropped off in year two for one reason or another.

Far less common, however, is the quarterback who struggles as a rookie before exploding onto the scene in year two. A perfect example of this is Drake Maye. He flashed in 2024, but he didn’t look like anything special. Now, in year two, he’s an MVP candidate.

Maye’s jump from his rookie to sophomore season is one for the ages, but how does it stack up against some of the other best year twos since 2000?

Drake Maye’s Leap

Drake Maye has gone from zero to hero in one season. After his rookie year, there was some promise, but overall, it didn’t live up to the hype. He completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns, but had 10 interceptions. He did rush for 421 yards and two scores, but overall, I think everyone was left a bit underwhelmed.

Heading into his second year, everyone was talking about Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, and Bo Nix. Nobody was giving Maye his flowers, but he has easily been the best of the bunch this year, throwing for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions behind a league-best 72 percent completion percentage. He’s also added 450 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to his total. He’s taken the four-win New England Patriots to a 13-win regular season, and now they’re set to host the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round.

Nobody thought Maye’s turnaround was possible. Maybe in a few years, but it took just one season for him and the Patriots to make a complete 180. But was his second-year leap as good as some of the others?

Tom Brady (2000-2001)

Tom Brady found himself in a similar situation to Maye’s, just 25 years earlier. He was the Patriots’ savior, taking them to the Super Bowl in 2001, when nobody expected him to. After completing one pass in his entire rookie season, Brady threw for 2,843 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in his second year. Those numbers aren’t close to Maye’s, but he accomplished the ultimate goal: winning the Super Bowl.

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Brady went from an afterthought to Super Bowl champion in the matter of months, all because Drew Bledsoe got hurt. Statistically, Brady’s leap pales in comparison to Maye’s, but all that matters is that he brought home the Lombardi. For now, you have to say Brady’s was better, but if Maye can bring a seventh Super Bowl to New England, he would have a clear edge over Brady.

Patrick Mahomes (2017-2018)

Patrick Mahomes’ second-year jump was very similar to Brady’s. He didn’t play much as a rookie, throwing for 284 yards and a pick in a Week 17 game, but his second year was easily the most impressive of anyone on this list.

In 2018, Mahomes won the MVP in his first year as a starter and led the Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC Championship game. He completed 66 percent of his passes for 5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Mahomes led the league in passing touchdowns by 11 and finished second in passing yards by 32. He took the league by storm, and in his second year as a starter (third year in the league), he won the Super Bowl.

I think it’s safe to say Maye’s season hasn’t quite lived up to Mahomes’.

Lamar Jackson (2018-2019)

Lamar Jackson is another quarterback who took a massive leap from year one to year two, and his path was probably the most comparable to Maye’s. Jackson started seven games as a rookie, throwing for 1,201 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions while rushing for 695 yards and five scores. It was a solid rookie campaign, but he really took off as a sophomore.

In 2019, Jackson won the MVP award after throwing for 3,127 yards, 36 touchdowns, and six interceptions with an NFL-record 1,206 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He took the Ravens to the Divisional Round, where they lost to Tennessee. If Maye ends up with the MVP and loses this weekend, these two will have eerily similar starts.

Joe Burrow (2020-2021)

Joe Burrow’s path offers another compelling comparison. He also didn’t start every game as a rookie, throwing for 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five picks in 10 games. When he was finally given the full reins in 2021, he never looked back.

In his second year, Burrow threw for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while adding 118 yards and two more scores on the ground. He took the Bengals, who hadn’t won a playoff game since 1990, to the Super Bowl, but ultimately fell short against the Rams after his offensive line gave up seven sacks.

If Maye makes it to the big game but falls just short, I think you could debate who had the better second year. But for now, it’s certainly Burrow.