Whether it be a New England Patriots player or any other team's second-year player, there's always the fear of a dreaded "sophomore slump" for those who excelled as rookies. The Patriots' Drake Maye has already blown that possibility out of the water, and CBS Sports is heaping serious praise on the Patriots prodigy's second-year leap.
Maye had a solid 2024 rookie season with a 66 percent completion percentage, 15 touchdown passes, and 10 interceptions with a poor supporting cast. In 2025, aided by solid offseason shopping by head coach Mike Vrabel in free agency and the draft, Maye has taken his game to a new level.
He currently leads all NFL quarterbacks with a lofty 74.1 percent completion percentage along with 2,285 yards, 17 touchdowns, and only four interceptions in nine games. This performance has landed him squarely in the NFL's MVP discussion, and has helped place the Patriots in a solid position to land a playoff berth.
Drake Maye is rocking the NFL in his second season
Drake Maye was predicted to tear the cover off the NFL this season, and he's doing just that.
Now he’s earning national attention as a second-year quarterback living up to predictions of a breakout season that could vault him into the NFL’s elite.
CBS Sports' Douglas Clawsen has compared the second-year leaps of NFL quarterbacks over the past decade, and Drake Maye's performance stands out.
"Maye is making a leap in every sense of the word. He's fourth in EPA per dropback this season after ranking 22nd last season. He is among the most improved quarterbacks from Year 1 to Year 2 across the board. I examined the 89 quarterbacks in NFL history who were qualified passers in both their first and second years of their careers. Here's where his jumps rank:
- Second in yards per attempt improvement (+2.3) behind 2013 Nick Foles
- Sixth in passing yards per game improvement (+78.8) and best since 1994 Drew Bledsoe
- Sixth in win percentage improvement (+.528)
- Fourth in ANY/A+ improvement (+34)"
And to add an even loftier dimension to the superlatives, Clausen has these truly seismic predictions for what Maye might accomplish this season:
"This is a historic breakout season we're witnessing. If it's anything like what we've seen in recent years, don't be shocked if Maye actually wins MVP or if he helps lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl."
Drake Maye is on his way to stardom, and it's on the Patriots to smooth the way
Mike Vrabel has been lauded for everything from a magnificent offseason that rivals the best in Patriots history, to a 2025 draft. class that rates among the best since the days of Bill Parcells. Those are high praises, indeed. Yet, when Vrabel had a chance this season to elevate his unexpectedly excellent Maye-led team to even higher levels at the NFL trade deadline, he punted.
Vrabel passed on any chance to upgrade his team. He bowled a goose egg, a total gutter ball. It was an unexpected and inexcusable lack of activity, and however he and his backroom staff try to gild the lily, it's a major gaffe.
The suggestion that the locker room will be gloriously happy because of no changes is ludicrous. The players at the back of the roster will be happy, since they'll still be around; it's the main cogs, the top players who'll feel short-changed by Vrabel, no matter what they say publicly.
Vrabel's argument about "rebuilds" is drivel. In one offseason, he overhauled half an NFL roster and built a winning team, currently near the top of the entire NFL's standings after 10 games. Why, then, when he could give that team a chance to do even greater things at the trade deadline, did he flinch?
The Coach's inaction is a huge mistake. He could have added a running back to help Maye, a pass rusher to give his defense a playmaker, and an offensive left guard. Trying and failing is one thing, but doing nothing to bolster your team is an embarrassment. Mike Vrabel punted and shanked it at the worst time possible for the 2025 season, and he let Maye and the team down in the process.