Drake Maye Gets ‘Average’ Update on Patriots Offense as Mike Vrabel Puts Pressure on QB

Drake Maye’s rookie year was supposed to bring fireworks. Instead, it brought flashbacks, and not good ones. In 2024, when Maye faced pressure, his numbers plummeted. He ranked near the bottom of the league in completion percentage under duress, his sack rate ballooned, and the offense stalled before it even had a chance to breathe. That wasn’t just on the kid. He often had no time. The Patriots’ offensive line was a turnstile, their run game evaporated, and Maye was left holding the bag.

Which is why the word that’s now floating around Foxborough is so jarring. Average. Not elite, not dominant, not the return to glory that Patriots fans have been begging for. Just average.

“I look at this line and I feel like they have the potential to be twice the unit they were,” Phil Perry said on the August 30 episode of NBC Sports Boston. “They have the potential to be 100% better. And that’s 100% better. But that doesn’t mean they’re suddenly solid across the board. It just means relative to last year, they’re far superior. I think they can get close to average,” Perry noted, highlighting the possibilities of improvement. Think about that. For a franchise that once measured itself in Super Bowls, average offensive line play is now the Holy Grail. But after 2024? You’ll take it.

Here’s the math. If this line can climb into the 20–24 range in the NFL, as Perry projects, it could be just enough to let Maye function. Enough for Rhamondre Stevenson to find daylight. Enough to keep Maye’s eyes downfield instead of on the incoming rush. And enough to make the playoff hunt until December a reality. And the proof points are clear. Perry laid out the checklist for judging improvement.

• Yards per carry – “They have not been able to run the football. I think they’ll be better in that regard.”
• Pass block and run block win rate – advanced stats that strip away fluky plays and tell the real story.
• Sacks and pressures per attempt – though Perry cautioned, “there’s more and more evidence every year that it’s becoming as much a quarterback stat as it is a line stat. If the ball’s not out in time, you’re inviting pressure or you’re inviting that sack.”
• Third-and-one, goal-to-go, and yards before contact – the situational downs where last year’s offense repeatedly face-planted.

That’s the hard-nosed stuff Maye needs. Because no matter how talented he is, if he’s constantly ducking pressure, you’re back to 2024 all over again. The other issue? Who’s catching the ball?

Coming off an ACL, stepping into a new system, Stefon Diggs is either a comeback story or a cautionary tale. If the Patriots needed him to be 2019 Diggs, forget it. Perry didn’t sugarcoat it. “If you want this team to win 11 or 12 games this year, you need Stefon Diggs to have a 1,200-yard season. What’s the likelihood of that? Less than 8%. Less than 5%.” That’s the dice roll. The safer bet? Myers, a steady if unspectacular receiver who could have given Maye reliable production. Instead, New England chose upside, and upside comes with risk.

That’s the blueprint for survival. In Foxborough, survival is now the dream, and Maye needs to buckle up.

Mike Vrabel wants action from Drake Maye

Mike Vrabel didn’t come to Foxborough to babysit. He came to win. And his message to Drake Maye heading into year two is clear: the training wheels are off. The Patriots believe their second-year quarterback is ready for more, a lot more.”There’s strong internal belief that quarterback Drake Maye will take another step forward, as the 2024 first-round pick had an impressive initial offseason with coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels,” Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported.

That belief isn’t just optimism. It’s pressure. Vrabel isn’t lowering the bar for a young QB. He’s raising it. Maye’s rookie season was encouraging, but not franchise-changing. Thirteen starts, 2,276 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, 421 rushing yards, solid numbers, but masked by the surrounding chaos.

Now? No excuses. The Patriots reshaped his world this offseason. Rookie lineman Will Campbell, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, and free-agent veterans like Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, Garrett Bradbury, and Morgan Moses all slot in as immediate contributors. For the first time, Maye’s got real protection and legitimate targets.

That’s where Vrabel’s challenge comes in. This offense can’t look like 2024 again. Here’s the reality: Maye doesn’t have to be Tom Brady in year two. But he does have to prove he’s not Mac Jones 2.0. He has to show command in the pocket, efficiency under pressure, and the ability to turn upgraded talent into actual production.

Vrabel is putting the pressure squarely on his quarterback because that’s where it belongs. The Patriots have built around Maye. They’ve invested in him. Now the expectation is simple. Break out or break down.