Drake Maye’s sophomore NFL season looked like a breakout campaign until the playoff struggles exposed key areas for improvement. As the quarterback moves into the next season, the fans have higher expectations, but Fox Sports 1 co-host Nick Wright thinks otherwise.

“I think across the board, he will take a step back next year,” said Nick on a recent episode of First Things First. “I think his numbers will take a huge hit. I think the team’s record will take a huge hit.”

As the Patriots‘ QB1, Maye delivered flawless performances for consecutive weeks in the regular season, amassing impressive numbers. Starting all 17 regular-season games, he ranked fourth among the NFL quarterbacks with 4394 passing yards. Scoring a remarkable 31 passing touchdowns, he earned the third spot, while he had only 8 interceptions. Moreover, he completed 72% of his passes.

However, he was unable to replicate those impressive numbers when faced with playoff pressure, although the Pats managed to win three games until the Super Bowl. His pass completion dropped to 58.3%, while he had 4 interceptions from 4 postseason games, averaging one in each game. In addition, his TD percentage dropped from 6.3 to 5.

Nick compared Maye to the San Francisco 49ers‘ Brock Purdy, whose productive sophomore season momentum didn’t transition into the same level of success the following year. The 2023 season was Purdy’s breakout season, with 4280 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns, numbers almost identical to those of the Patriots quarterback. The Niners became the Super Bowl runner-up that season, but once his production dropped the following season, the team failed to make the playoffs.

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Although they have similarities in their second-year performances, Maye is surrounded by some great coaches, including Mike Vrabel, who has been credited with the revival of the Patriots last season. There will be a lot of expectations from the 23-year-old next season, which the Pats general manager Eliot Wolf firmly established.

Eliot Wolf confirms Patriots’ long-term faith in Drake Maye

Eliot Wolf recently attended the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, where he was asked whether he was satisfied with Drake Maye’s performance, as he led the six-time Super Bowl Champions to the playoffs for the first time after three years.

“I’m just really excited about him, his toughness, his competitiveness,” said Wolf. “He’s always the same guy. There are obviously areas in the field that he’s going to improve, and he’s going to work with Coach (Josh) McDaniels and Coach (Ashton) Grant and get those things taken care of.”

McDaniels (offensive coordinator) and Grant (quarterback coach) joined the Patriots in the 2025 season alongside Mike Vrabel. Under their supervision, Maye took a major step forward in his career, becoming the starting QB.

The 23-year-old struggled with fumbles in the postseason, recording 7 fumbles in 4 games. Moving to the next season, that’s one weakness he would like to improve, especially in high-pressure playoff games. Moreover, he was sacked four times in his final four games, making offensive protection- an area Vrabel would want him to develop further.

The two-time Pro Bowler’s lack of footwork was also a major issue last season, as he relied excessively on arm strength. Hence, it would be a key improvement area for the 2026 campaign.