Drake Maye’s second season proved to the league that the New England Patriots have one of the best young QBs in the league. Although he had a good rookie season, he put the world on notice with elite performances in 2025, helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 2019. He was the first QB since Tom Brady to help the Pats get to the grandest stage of them all.

Having already made two Pro Bowl teams, conversations surrounding his contract extension have already started. Although there’s no valuation as of now, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes Maye won’t be as “charitable” as the former quarterback, Brady.

“The player who finished second in the MVP voting to cap his second season also has his window open after the 2026 regular season,” wrote Mike Florio for Pro Football Talk. “And the Patriots will be hoping that, like Tom Brady before him, Maye will be less inclined to break the bank and more inclined to ensure that there will be cap space to have a quality team around him.

“Brady, who entered the league as the 199th overall pick, had naturally lower expectations early in his career. Maye, the third overall pick who was denied the commensurate reward due to the rookie wage scale, may not be as charitable as Brady was.”

Beyond winning a record seven Lombardi Trophies, Brady is also known to frequently take salary cuts or team-friendly contracts throughout his NFL career. Despite earning over $330 million in his professional career, he was known to sacrifice money on his contract to help the team with roster construction.

“If my family and I can’t live on $60 million, there’s really something wrong,” said Tom Brady.

While most top quarterbacks have always been in the bracket of the highest-paid QBs in the league, Brady was always focused on how he could help the team. When asked why he took less money, he had an interesting answer.

“I think the thing I’ve always felt for me in my life, winning has been a priority,” Brady said. “I’m a little smarter than you think. Actually, it’s a salary cap. You can only spend so much, and the more that one guy gets is less for others. And for a competitive advantage standpoint, I like to get a lot of good players around me.”

However, Florio believes that Maye won’t be following Brady’s footsteps, given the current state of the quarterback market. Firstly, Maye’s rookie contract is almost 20 times that of Brady’s. Secondly, last season, he recorded 4,394 passing yards and 31 touchdown passes with a 72% pass completion rate. His passer rating and QBR read 113.5 and 77.1, respectively, highlighting an elite-level performance from the 23-year-old.

Besides, the Kansas City Chiefs are setting a new ceiling with Patrick Mahomes‘ latest extension; it is highly unlikely Maye won’t walk in the same direction. Initially, it was Dak Prescott who led the QBs with an average salary of $60 million annually. But now, Mahomes is leading the line with an average of $63.093 million annually, following his eight-year contract extension worth $504.75 million.

As of now, Maye still has another year to go until his extension truly becomes a reality. If he can deliver a similar performance to last season and win the Super Bowl or the MVP, the NFL could potentially be seeing a new ceiling for a QB rookie extension. But that would break owner Robert Kraft’s long-standing tradition.

Drake Maye’s contract could force Robert Kraft to do something different

Since taking over the New England Patriots in January 1994, owner Robert Kraft has always been careful about paying his stars. As mentioned above, even Brady was tied to team-friendly contracts. However, this may be Kraft’s time to put an end to that tradition, as he has three top-tier players, who are all expected to be on big-money contracts.

As things stand, Drake Maye will likely receive a massive contract after his third season. He has proved that he can perform at the highest level. Now, he just needs to be consistent with his output.

Wide receiver A.J. Brown was acquired by the Patriots in a blockbuster trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately, it is not just him that he acquired; they also inherited Brown’s expensive contract, which will see him make $33 million over the next two seasons.

Then they also have Christian Gonzalez, who is one of the top cornerbacks in the league.  Since 2023, he has started in 34 games, recording 145 tackles, 24 pass deflections, and three interceptions. Thanks to his performance, he also earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. Following the 2026 season, he is set to hit free agency. With a market projection of around $30 million annually, Gonzalez could become one of the highest-paid CBs in the league.

Paying three stars almost around the same time is something the owner has never actively done. Previously, players like Logan Mankins and Wes Welker had contract issues and had to leave the franchise. But this time, with how the team is set by Mike Vrabel, it looks like Kraft might have to pay his stars if he wants to win another Super Bowl.