The New England Patriots' blockbuster trade for A.J. Brown continues to make big headlines across the NFL world. It's been front-page news since the Patriots finally completed it on June 1. And the reverberations continue as the offseason progresses through OTAs and Brown shows just how huge an addition he'll be to the Patriots' offense and quarterback Drake Make.
As a result,
Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox has named Drake Maye one of 2026's top four OTA winners.
The 2025 Patriots fielded arguably the NFL's best passer in Drake Maye. He led all NFL quarterbacks in several categories, including an astronomical 72 percent completion rate, a whopping seven percentage points higher than the NFL's MVP, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Now, with Brown aboard, expect Maye's completion percentage (assuming he gets some clean pockets from his retooled offensive line this season) to approach the astonishing 75 percent.
Drake Maye will thrive with A.J. Brown as his No. 1 receiver
Winning or losing OTAs doesn't mean anything on its own, but the underlying reason for being selected as a winner could mean everything in the 2026 NFL. Maye had a decent 2025 receiving corps led by veteran Stefon Diggs.
Diggs was released, but now with Brown and free-agent addition Romeo Doubs on hand, the team sports a top-2 receiving tandem that may be one of the NFL's best.
Knox explains why Drake Maye was such a big OTA winner.
"The quarterback, who was a rookie Pro Bowl alternate in Year 1 and an MVP candidate in Year 2, has continued to show the Patriots positive growth. 'They're telling people this: 'Look out for the quarterback this year. Like, you thought he was good last year? Wait till you see him now,' Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal said on his Patriots podcast (h/t Ryan O'Leary of FanSided).
'...From what I understand, it's the mentality. It's how much he knows the offense even more. It's how he has the tools that are in this offense.' The Patriots might not be able to get back to the Super Bowl this season, but Maye appears poised to take another leap."
Adding a better No. 1 receiver in Brown and an upgrade at the No. 2 spot in Doubs can only elevate Maye's game. Of course, the elephant in the room is whether the Patriots' retooled offensive line can keep Maye upright and provide clean pockets.
If they can, the sky will be the limit for Maye, Brown, and the team. The Patriots will race back to the NFL playoffs, and Maye will likely run away with the NFL MVP award in a cakewalk.
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