After the second of two competitive days of joint practices between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles wrapped up, Drake Maye made it a point to catch Jalen Hurts on their way off the field.
They nearly crossed paths at Alabama, as Maye had originally committed to Nick Saban's team in 2019 before flipping to North Carolina. Hurts had graduated that same year before transferring to Oklahoma to play out his final season of college eligibility.
Maye has appreciated Hurts’ career from afar and said he made it a point to let the 2024 Super Bowl MVP know that on Thursday.
“I just caught him on the way out as he was leaving the field,” Maye said. “I’m a big fan of his game. Rooting for him. I told him back when I was committed to Alabama, back in the day, he was some of the quarterbacks that I was watching play there. And then he ended up going to Oklahoma. But he’s a Super Bowl champ. That speaks for itself. One of my best friends, Sam Howell, was in the room with him last year. So I got to know some stories about Jalen and how he works. I respect him a lot for that. I’m pulling for him.”
Jalen Hurts’ relentless work ethic clearly resonates with Drake Maye
Maye doesn’t even turn 24 until the end of this month, but you would never know it after listening to him speak behind a podium.
He’s already becoming elite at crafting the right message through the media. What does he respect most about Hurts’ game? The work ethic.
Patriots fans spent two decades marveling over Tom Brady’s relentless pursuit of excellence, and Maye appears to be wired the same way. Last year’s Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks was probably the worst performance of his football career. His near lights-out camp so far, highlighted by these two practices with the Eagles, is the exact response fans hoped to see.
Hurts could end up being a perfect mentor for Maye, even indirectly. He’s one of four quarterbacks in NFL history to lose his first Super Bowl appearance only to return and win one later in his career. The others were John Elway, Bob Griese, and Len Dawson.
Maye has a great chance to join that list, fresh off an All-Pro season with what should be a long career ahead of him.
He clearly sees what many in the NFL don’t in Hurts, whose standing among the league’s elite continues to be a hot debate. One AFC executive may have said it best to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler this offseason: “I'm still betting on the Super Bowl credentials, the intangibles, and the toughness."
Maye has all of those traits and then some, and his focus on constantly improving on the mental side of his game is why there’s still no ceiling on his NFL trajectory entering Year 3.
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