Drake Maye‘s performance against the New York Jets on Sunday wasn’t just a dominant display of quarterbacking. It was a full-circle moment, crossing into rare franchise territory that only three New England Patriots quarterbacks have ever reached in a single season. Yet when the WEEL Afternoons‘ hosts asked him what it felt like to be “Drake 4K May” alongside Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe, Maye kept it humble and reflective.

“I think it’s…anytime you’re in a competition with those two quarterbacks, you know, you’re in good company. So, those guys are great. They’re Patriot legends,” Drake said.

“Hopefully, to not just be in a competition with them one time, but hopefully to continue on trying to, like I said, keep on playing good football and playing clean football. And shoot it in any competition with those guys. I’m doing something right, and those guys around me and the people that are helping me out are doing a lot more things right than I am.”

That humility takes on a different meaning when you consider how exclusive the 4K club actually is, with Maye joining Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe as the only Patriots quarterbacks ever to reach 4,000 passing yards in a season. Tom Brady logged 11 such seasons with New England, while Drew Bledsoe did it twice, setting the long-term standard for quarterback production in Foxborough.

Maye joined them as a rookie, officially going over 4,000 when he hit Efton Chism III for a 30-yard gain against the Jets, and that same play also served as Chism’s first NFL catch and pushed Maye into the franchise record books. But even in that spotlight, he keeps coming back to playing ‘good football’ and ‘clean football’ while emphasizing how much his teammates and coaches are doing around him instead of leaning into Brady-Bledsoe comparisons. The bigger picture now is awards and expectations.

Drake Maye, MVP stakes, and what comes next

Maye’s domination on the Jets helped the Patriots finish a perfect 8-0 on the road and improve to 13-3, a result that kept them in the mix for the AFC’s No. 1 seed and set up their first AFC East title since 2019, a few hours later, when the Buffalo Bills lost 13-12 to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Coverage around the league framed that Jets game as a major boost to his MVP push, with his five-touchdown passes, near-flawless outing strengthening what several outlets already described as a two-man race at the top of the odds board between Maye and Matthew Stafford heading into Week 18. ESPN noted that Maye led the Patriots to touchdowns on all six of his drives before he was pulled with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter and a 42-3 lead. Stefon Diggs said of the MVP conversation,

‘They kind of keeping this MVP stuff, so it’s time we start rolling with it.’”

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With the Patriots already locked into the postseason and Maye’s name now sitting next to two franchise legends in the record book, the next chapter is simple and very real. What he does in January will decide how loud that conversation gets.