After Drake Maye's rookie season, which was much better than what the stats on paper said, it was reasonable to expect a year two leap from the New England Patriots signal-caller, but I am not sure many of us thought the 2025 season would be as prolific as it was.
Maye nearly won the MVP in just his second year in the league, doing so as a 23-year-old. Maye's 2025 season went down in the record books in all the good ways. Sure, the Super Bowl loss was tough to experience, but even getting to that point after a non-playoff season in 2024 was astounding.
All of a sudden, the Patriots have a superstar QB and a wide-open Super Bowl window, which could continue in 2026 and beyond. On Friday, Maye also made his appearance in the NFL Top 100 list, which is a list voted on by the players, and his ranking in that list further confirms that his superstardom has arrived.
New England Patriots QB Drake Maye takes the No. 11 spot on the NFL Top 100
Coming in just outside the top-10, Maye takes the No. 11 spot, meaning players across the league only voted 10 players as being better than Maye approaching the 2026 season:
No. 11 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@Patriots QB Drake Maye! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/e91dTxF4Hl
— NFL (@NFL) August 21, 2026
Maye's 2025 season included a stellar 14-3 record, a league-leading 72 percent completion percentage, 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and also a league-leading 113.5 passer rating and 77.1 QBR.
He wasn't perfect, though, as he took 47 sacks and wasn't necessarily playing all that well in the playoffs, but all things considered, he and the Patriots shattered expectations in 2025.
And sure, while the schedule was easy, winning and good QB are just that - yes, going forward, you'd love to see Maye up his game against top competition, but there was truly only one QB in the NFL better than him last year.
Heading into 2026, the Patriots are also well-equipped to make another deep playoff run, as Maye has two new weapons in AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs, an improved offensive line with the arrivals of Caleb Lomu and Alijah Vera-Tucker, and still has a future Hall of Fame coordinator on his side in Josh McDaniels.
With many of the top QBs in the AFC now entering their 30s, Maye and the Patriots may have a long runway of contention ahead of them. While many across the league are wanting to see Maye sustain this high level of play into 2026 and beyond, his peers certainly think highly of him, as being ranked as the 11th-best player in the league is nothing to scoff at and further proof that the Patriots have another superstar QB.
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