From the second that the Patriots picked Drake Maye in the 2024 NFL Draft, he was immediately under some of the most pressure that any player has dealt with in the organization in many years. It could be argued that Mac Jones dealt with a similar situation, but after he quickly fizzled, analysts and fans gave up and moved on well before he was traded.
Those expectations only heightened for Maye once he was given the start in Week 6, and his impressive performances since then have officially made him the true successor to Tom Brady that the Patriots have been looking for. He's thriving in his second season, despite the massive changes to the coaching staff, and it's clear that working with Josh McDaniels is taking his game to a new level.
Despite concerns about the former head coach's return after three years away from the team, McDaniels is again considered one of, if not the best, offensive coordinators in the NFL. And Maye is thankful to learn from him.
In fact, he is seemingly more than just thankful, as the quarterback couldn't help but gush about the impact McDaniels has had on his young NFL career so far.
Josh McDaniels is in his best form as the Patriots' play-caller this season
After last week's win over the Browns, with Maye completely destroying one of the best defenses in the league today, he was asked about working with McDaniels, and he couldn't help but make quite the statement about just how fortunate he feels to learn from one of the best to ever call plays.
Drake Maye on OC Josh McDaniels:
— Patriots on CLNS (@PatriotsCLNS) October 26, 2025
“He was put on this earth to be an offensive coordinator. Happy to be in the headset with him.”
-@CLNSMedia pic.twitter.com/jFBIindCvO
That is quite the statement that shuts down any and all concerns about McDaniels' return. There were worries that he wasn't the right fit for Maye after working with Alex Van Pelt, especially since he had been away from the NFL since the Raiders fired him in 2023.
However, he's picked up where he's left off, if not proving to be even better than his last stint in New England, and Maye is thriving beyond expectations.
McDaniels is exactly what Maye needed for his second season and he's a big reason he's now in the MVP conversation just halfway through the season. It's easy to see why the Patriots liked the quarterback last year, and as one of the lone survivors of that draft class, they couldn't have hit on a better pick than Maye.
He can surely carry the team to the playoffs this year and beyond, and we can thank McDaniels for helping to elevate his performance to the next level at just 23 years old.