The New England Patriots made their best personnel decisions in a decade or more when they drafted quarterback Drake Maye with the third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Maye has justified that lofty pick and more, and is on his way, if he can stay healthy, to superstardom in the NFL.
His Super Bowl window has been flagged by Bleacher Report as the longest in the league at over a decade, and it's hard to argue against even those lofty predictions.
Now, MassLive's Meredith Perri has written about Maye's nomination by ESPN for two of its most prestigious 2025 NFL ESPY awards. All the accolades the young emerging superstar receives are well-deserved, as was the MVP award he lost by a single vote to the Rams' Matthew Stafford.
Without doubt, it was a sentimental gift to the veteran Stafford. Maye deserved that award.
Drake Maye is on his way to stardom, with an ESPY Award or not
Perri noted the tough competition Drake Maye now faces for two 2025 ESPYs: Best NFL Player and Best Breakthrough Athlete of the Year.
"Is Drake Maye the Best NFL Player or the Best Breakthrough Athlete of 2026? The New England Patriots quarterback was nominated for both this week as part of the 2026 ESPYS...Maye, who is entering his third NFL season, led the Patriots to a Super Bowl berth and was in the mix for NFL Most Valuable Player during the 2025 season.
He is up against the person who beat him for the MVP title, Matthew Stafford. He is also up against Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett and Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba for Best NFL Player."
Both of the awards are of mega-importance to an NFL player, especially the Best NFL Player award. Maye is unlikely to win that, since, as mentioned, Myles Garrett, the NFL's best sack man, best defensive player, and arguably one of the best NFL non-quarterbacks in a decade or more, is the likely winner.
On the Breakout Player of the Year side, however, Maye should be right in the running, even with prolific pass-catcher Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the champion Seahawks in the running.
The wide receiver had a sensational 2025, hauling in 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns, helping the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Yet, while he's certainly a consideration, Maye could get the nod for the award because he plays the widely considered more important position.
The young quarterback took a 2024 team that logged a 4-13 record to a 14-3 record and the Super Bowl in 2025. He did this largely on the strength of his prolific passing and running abilities.
Maye led the NFL in completion percentage and passer rating, beating the MVP Matthew Stafford considerably on both metrics in the process. Most impressive was his 72% completion, which drubbed Stafford's 65%.
He did all that with a porous offensive line that surrendered 47 regular-season sacks (and another 21 in the postseason) to only 23 regular-season sacks of Stafford. He also had no prolific receiver like Puka Nacua on the other end of his passes, which makes his achievements even more impressive.
While Maye may be shut out of any 2025 ESPY award, his 2025 achievements are indisputable.
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