The Cincinnati Bengals have experienced it. So have the Los Angeles Rams (St. Louis Rams) and the New Orleans Saints. The San Francisco 49ers managed to do it twice. Yet somehow, even through the dynasty years of New England Patriots football and all the greatness of quarterback Tom Brady, the franchise never joined that particular piece of NFL history. Now, with Drake Maye in the spotlight, there is suddenly a feeling that the franchise may finally have its chance.

As the 23-year-old enters his third NFL season, he will have the chance to punch his name in an elite category. That is, if everything goes well this season.

“If Maye leads the NFL completion percentage for a second straight season, he will become the first Patriots player to accomplish the feat and the sixth NFL player since 1970 to do so, joining Joe Montana (1980-81), Ken Anderson (1982-83), Steve Young (1994-97), Kurt Warner (1999-2001) and Drew Brees (2009-2011, 2017-2019),” reported ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Drake Maye has two records open to break in the 2026 NFL season. And both can only be broken after an efficient output in the offensive unit. In the 2025 season alone, Maye set the franchise record for the highest single-season completion percentage with 72%, shattering former Patriots QB Tom Brady‘s 2007 record with 68.9% in the process. In doing so, Maye became the youngest player in league history to finish a season atop in that category.

But heading into the 2026 season, Maye has another achievement to look up to. The QB can become the first Patriots player to lead the NFL completion percentage chart for consecutive seasons, something that even Brady couldn’t achieve in 20 years in Foxborough. In fact, only five NFL legends so far have broken that record for other teams in the league.

Interestingly, ESPN analyst Mike Clay sees a highly efficient season ahead for Maye. In his 2026 NFL projection guide, Clay forecasted the player to finish the season with a 68.2 completion percentage. Of course, projections only go so far in the NFL. But based on what Maye has already shown, reaching that number hardly feels unrealistic. The quarterback completed 72.0 percent of his passes last season after posting a 66.6 completion rate in 2024, which makes ESPN’s projected mark of 68.2 seem well within reach.

However, Maye’s place alongside legendary names like Montana, Young, and Brees will not depend on his numbers alone. The race is also tied to how the rest of the league’s quarterbacks perform this season.

The expectations are high for Maye. On top of that, in the 2024 season, Maye posted 2,276 passing yards and 15 touchdowns in 13 regular-season games. The numbers improved massively in 2025 after he recorded 4,394 passing yards and 31 TDs in 17 regular-season games under head coach Mike Vrabel’s guidance.

Now, heading into the 2026 season, Maye is working under the same coach as in 2025. Considering that, Patriots veteran TE Hunter Henry appeared excited a few weeks ago to see what the future holds for their standout QB.

“I think the underrated thing he has this year is obviously going into Year 2 in the system is big,” said Henry a few weeks back. “This system demands a lot on the quarterback position. To have a whole offseason to be in the same scheme and really build on what he did last year, I’m excited to see the jump and progress he can make on a day-to-day basis.”

Under Vrabel, the core of the Patriots’ offensive coaching staff remained the same. However, there were some changes in playmakers for the 23-year-old and this can influence his performance.

Drake Maye has new faces to work with for the 2026 season

The New England Patriots’ near-perfect 2025 season run was marked by consistency. They finished the season with a 14-3 record, sitting atop the AFC East, before losing the Super Bowl LX final 29-13 to the Seattle Seahawks. Drake Maye led as the signal-caller, while Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte stepped up as wide receivers.

Heading into the 2026 season, there will be changes after Diggs’ release in March. However, the franchise immediately followed this development by signing Romeo Doubs as a replacement.

“All about ball,” said Doubs about Maye in a media interaction last week. “That’s just something I really appreciate just being around him. I mean, he’s an amazing dude, amazing quarterback in this league. And like I said, I just look forward to just continuously building and understanding this offense just one day at a time.”

But will Doubs be able to replicate the success that the Diggs-Maye partnership brought to the Patriots? In the 2025 season, Doubs recorded 724 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 16 games, while Diggs had 1,013 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. The Patriots see it as a suitable replacement, but they also have another playmaker ready to catch passes from Maye.

Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown has asked for a trade away from the team. And according to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter, the Patriots stand out as the most desired destination by Brown.

“A.J. Brown trade to the Patriots is still on the table and still tracking to happen on or after June 1, per league sources,” Schefter reported in April. “The two sides have discussed a deal, but neither has been willing to commit to it until after June 1, when Brown’s $40 million salary cap charge would be split between this and next year.”

However, as things stand, more teams have entered the conversation to sign the Eagles WR. On that note, it will be interesting to see what the final playmaker lineup for Drake Maye and the Patriots will look like.