In the years leading to Tom Brady's departure from the Patriots, there was a lot of talk about who would ultimately become his successor, especially since Bill Belichick hadn't properly begun the process to establish that whatsoever. It didn't seem like a desirable position for any player to be in, as taking over for the greatest to ever do it would be massive shoes to step into.
And because of that, it made it even more difficult to find the right guy for the job. After a few frogs were brought in, the Patriots finally appear to have found their next franchise star in Drake Maye, who understands just how much pressure is on him to live up to the legendary quarterback.
He has already been named the true successor to Brady, despite joining the team four years after he left for the Bucs, and continues to prove every week that he can be the future of the team.
That's even more prevalent when he was recently asked about being the next guy up after Brady ahead of last week's game against the Browns, and his answer is everything fans could have asked for and more.
Drake Maye is solidifying himself as the future of the New England Patriots every week this season
While speaking to Rob Gronkowski for Fox Sports last week, Maye was asked the difficult question about following in Brady's footsteps in New England, and gave one of the best answers possible.
It was such a genuine and great answer that even Gronk shared he got chills hearing what Maye had to say, proving even further that he is the real deal.
#Patriots QB Drake Maye on being Tom Brady's successor:
— New England Sports Fellow (@NESportsFellow) October 27, 2025
"Just try to be myself. Don't try to be the greatest of all time. I think the biggest thing is: I just respect [what he did]....I'm just trying to pull what I can from him and appreciate his greatness."
(🎥: @Patriots) pic.twitter.com/9ULtW5V9MS
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This feels like a stark contrast to the vibe most fans got from Mac Jones, and while he tried to establish himself as the next quarterback for the historically successful franchise, it's clear that the job was for Maye and Maye alone.
He has the kind of attitude that can take the team far, and we're already seeing the impact he has made on the team as they head into Week 9 with a 6-2 record. They are on pace to be a wild-card team in the playoffs, a feat they haven't reached since the 2021 season, and how that panned out is not something most fans care to remember.
There's optimism that won't be how they fare this year, as there are still plenty of winnable games on the schedule, and with how the team has been playing during their five-game win streak, there doesn't appear to be an end in sight.
Maye is a significant part of why they're on this roll right now, and it's exciting to see just how good this team has become in such a short amount of time.