The new Patriots' coaching staff has made it very clear this offseason that their main priority is to put Drake Maye in the best position possible to succeed in 2025 and beyond. Although most of their actions so far haven't fully supported that claim, considering how few offensive free agents they signed so far, the upcoming draft should prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Even before reaching that point, there is some evidence to suggest that new head coach Mike Vrabel was considering the impact on the quarterback with his personnel decisions.
Despite the initially less-than-enthusiastic response to the news of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels returning to Foxboro, it's hard to overlook just how beneficial he will be in Maye's growth and development throughout his career.
That has shifted the mindset of analysts and fans when envisioning his future in the NFL and just how bumpy his career began under Jerod Mayo. The second-year quarterback will now have the luxury of an offensive guru on his side and a solid new quarterbacks coach in Ashton Grant, who just made it abundantly clear that Maye is at the forefront of everything they're doing while preparing for the 2025 season.
The Patriots are doing everything they can to make the transition to a new coaching staff as easy as possible for Drake Maye
Once it was announced that Mayo would not be continuing his head coaching career in New England after the season finale game, there was considerable concern about how much change the coaching staff would undergo and how that would, unfortunately, impact Maye.
That prompted many to believe that keeping offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt around for another season, hoping to maintain consistency with the closest coach Maye had worked with, would ultimately put him in the best position possible moving forward.
That's (clearly) not what happened, but many of those concerns can seemingly be put to rest after hearing what Grant had to say to the media about his relationship with McDaniels and how that will benefit Maye now and in the long run.
#Patriots QBs coach Ashton Grant on OC Josh McDaniels:
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) April 4, 2025
“[We] have been tied at the hips. We go to Dunkin’ Donuts every day… It’s just a chance for me to get him one-on-one and pick his brain a little bit.”
Grant wants to “build and protect” the QB’s confidence.
(🎥 @Patriots) pic.twitter.com/wuGrtCeCQf
As if Maye wasn't benefiting enough from working with the OC who worked closest with Tom Brady throughout the majority of his career, he now has a quarterbacks coach who will ensure they're all working together as a team to make him as successful as possible.
It couldn't be a better transition for Maye, after working with a staff he seemed to enjoy during his rookie season, and should make it much easier to adapt to a new offensive scheme for the 2025 season.
It's an exciting development for Patriots fans and should put most doubts to rest regarding how the young quarterback will handle and overcome all the changes put before him.