Coming off a season that ended in the Super Bowl, the Patriots faced the highest expectations since arguably Tom Brady's final season in New England going into 2026, with Drake Maye's immediate future projected to reach a new high.
It didn't matter that his postseason performance wasn't the best, or that he struggled mightily in the Super Bowl - he is clearly the franchise quarterback for the team, and with the big improvements made to the offensive roster, it wasn't outlandish to predict Maye could have the biggest jump of his career in Year 3.
He was going to be tested early, with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks to kick things off, and although the game was close at the end, with the Patriots losing 13-10, the quarterback was far from brilliant.
That performance was followed by another forgettable showing against the Steelers on Sunday, prompting many, including legends like Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, to express concern about Maye's current state.
The duo spent the entire latest episode of the "Gronk and Jules Show" talking about Week 2, and it's fair to say their takes won't ease Patriots fans' concerns anytime soon. In fact, it might only make it worse.
Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman are not thrilled with how the Patriots season has started
While discussing the Patriots' first win of the year, they shared concerns about what they've seen from the team over the past two weeks, specifically Maye, both expressing that there are plenty of things to worry about, with Gronkowski feeling we're seeing him regress a bit.
“I know you’re worried,” Gronkowski said. “He’s regressing a little bit over the past five or six games compared to the first 10 or 15 games last season. It’s definitely something to worry about, but the biggest thing, the biggest picture is that they got the win.”
“Drake didn’t look comfortable at all,” Edelman said. “He looks – even on that interception, his feet aren’t set. He’s like drifting. He just doesn’t feel comfortable.”
Much of what they said mirrors what Patriots fans have been saying since last year, even though the team won and earned a shot at a seventh Super Bowl title.
We're seeing a concerning trend with Maye, and it's difficult to pinpoint what might be contributing to his apparent regression.
There's an argument, at least for the 2026 season so far, that it's due to changes in the receiving corps, with Kayshon Boutte and Stefon Diggs gone. You could also argue that Austin Hooper's absence is a problem.
But beyond that, the Patriots brought in A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to lead the receiving corps, and it doesn't look like there's a problem with rookie tight end Eli Raridon, who caught the first touchdown pass in Week 1 and had an impressive catch for 30 yards this past week.
So what could it be? Is there more blame to be put on Josh McDaniels?
Drake Maye has a lot to work on if he hopes to get the Patriots' season back on track
Edelman believes one explanation could be that Maye just doesn't look comfortable, which he believes was evident in Sunday's win.
“Drake still looks like he’s a little uncomfortable. There was a play when [Mike Onwenu] was getting pushed back, and it was third down, and he kind of just feels uncomfortable in there. He should have just stepped right up, the pocket was still kind of there. It feels like he’s overthinking. He’s overthinking before the play.”
Because it's the start of a new season and there were plenty of changes made to the roster, on top of facing some of the best defenses in the league to start the year, it doesn't seem completely unreasonable to suggest that Maye is uncomfortable and overthinking, which has led to some costly mistakes that didn't appear to be a problem before.
However, these issues became a topic throughout last year's playoffs and have continued into 2026, so it's concerning that he hasn't left these bad habits behind or figured out how to get out of his own head.
Maybe it's just nerves, or maybe it's something that will take more work to fix. But whatever it is, Maye and the Patriots need to figure it out sooner rather than later. Otherwise, the 2026 season will be a lot tougher than they imagined, and Maye's future will look bleaker, too.
None of that is what any Patriots fan wants to even think about any time soon.
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