Slumps are common for second-year quarterbacks in the NFL, but fortunately, so are leaps. And it continues to grow inevitable that we'll see more of the latter from Drake Maye in his second season with the Patriots.
Maye did as much as he could with practically nothing as a rookie, but in Year Two, Eliot Wolf and Mike Vrabel have set their second-year quarterback up for a strong sophomore campaign.
There are no more excuses for Maye. He has the talent around him - on the field and with his coaching staff - to have a big year and to accelerate his growth.
Jeff Howe of the New York Times agrees, pointing to the offseason work that Maye put in with Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has the new coaching staff optimistic about a second-year jump for the quarterback. A Patriots' turnaround after back-to-back 4-13 seasons is not impossible to believe in at this point, and Maye is at the forefront of that.
Drake Maye's sophomore campaign will be the best among the QB's in his draft class
That's an awfully bold prediction given fellow second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels took Washington to the NFC Championship game as a rookie, but a step back feels inevitable for him. J.J. McCarthy has arguably the best roster around him among the second-year QBs, but he didn't throw the ball a lot in college. Bo Nix and the Broncos beat up on a lot of bad teams last year.
So where does that leave Maye and the Patriots?
For starters, nowhere to go but up after last season's disaster. Getting off to a hot start in September with three out of four games in Foxborough will help Maye's cause. The Raiders, Panthers, and Dolphins, three of New England's first four opponents, had some of the worst pass defenses in the league last season. Again, no excuses.
We can talk about the likes of Stefon Diggs and TreVeyon Henderson all we want, but Kayshon Boutte feels destined for a breakout season. Boutte had a remarkable offseason and could emerge as one of Maye's best deep threats.
Can Maye throw for close to 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns this season? Absolutely, especially if he sharpens his decision-making. The coaching of Vrabel and McDaniels will help with that tremendously.
The internal belief in Maye remains high, and a sophomore shift should be expected.