![Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) calls a play during the first quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_1922,y_152,w_2320,h_1305/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/49/01m1jvqge0w3mhatje6q.jpg "Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) calls a play during the first quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
As much as some might want to pretend the 2025 season didn't happen, it did. Drake Maye threw for over 4,300 yards, led the league in completion percentage (72.5 percent) and passer rating (113.5), and fell just one first-place vote short of winning his first-ever MVP.
That, by the way, wasn't that long ago. He did that in just his second year in the league and his first with Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels. Of course, this isn't breaking news to New England Patriots fans, but it looks like the rest of the league could use a reminder.
That seems to be the case since NFL.com experts chose Josh Allen as their leading MVP candidate for the 2026 season. Moreover, they may have forgotten about Drake Maye, the MVP runner-up from last season, who didn't get a single vote.
Drake Maye should use the disrespect as motivation
To be fair, it makes sense that someone may choose Josh Allen as an MVP; he's undeniably a top-five guy at the position. But to see the likes of Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy, and Justin Herbert get votes over Maye just makes it seem personal.
Also, the subtext behind these votes says a lot about how they feel about both teams. It's impossible to believe Allen will draw serious MVP consideration unless he wins the AFC East, so, again, the Patriots are on the outside looking in.
Never has a reigning conference champion been so overlooked and disrespected. That should only help Mike Vrabel keep the fire lit in the locker room, with everyone taking notes and keeping receipts on all of the nonsense.
Maye is a composed young man who keeps the main thing the main thing. He won't allow the naysayers to get in his head and make him play for anything other than the ultimate glory, individual accolades be damned.
That said, the best players also find ways to be the biggest competitors. Sometimes, proving the world wrong drives professional athletes to never-before-seen heights, and Maye, like everyone else in that locker room, should be mad as hell right now.
If winning 17 of 20 games and going all the way to the Super Bowl while nearly winning MVP isn't enough to get some respect around here, the former No. 3 pick will have to keep pushing himself and raising the bar in Foxborough.
Consider the bear officially poked, NFL. You've brought this upon yourselves.
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