Building a roster around a quarterback who is already considered a franchise player, or one you believe can be, is crucial to a team's success. That's the position the Patriots have been in since drafting Drake Maye in 2024, and it looked like the Mike Vrabel regime, led by Eliot Wolf in the front office, was well on their way to making that happen last offseason.
They spent a record amount of cap space to improve the team, including the offense, by signing wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, drafting left tackle Will Campbell in the first round, and adding veteran tackle Morgan Moses to the starting lineup.
Many of those decisions were a big reason they made it to the Super Bowl, so the offseason should've been easy to keep the momentum going. Yet that wasn't the case; instead, the Patriots made questionable, immediately regrettable moves that have already backfired.
The biggest problems? Releasing Diggs just one year into his three-year contract over a salary dispute, then trading Kayshon Boutte to the Texans before the season opener.
Stripping Drake Maye of his two best receivers just because Romeo Doubs was signed in free agency and A.J. Brown was acquired via trade has already proven to be a massive contributor to the quarterback's struggles, and those decisions shouldn't be overlooked in the conversation about Maye.
The Patriots should probably wish they could get Kayshon Boutte and Stefon Diggs back
Watching Maye over the past three games hasn't been easy, as interceptions keep piling up and bad decisions have led to more wasted downs or ended drives. It's uncharacteristic of the quarterback we saw throughout the 2025 season, and there doesn't appear to be a real explanation for his struggles.
But a few things seem fair to assume: he's lost his confidence, and the lack of a true No. 1 receiver is hurting his performance and the offense.
Part of that can be blamed on Brown's absence, but that connection didn't last long before he sprained his ankle and was sidelined for at least four games. It can be traced back to the fact that Boutte and Diggs are no longer around, both of whom were Maye's top targets during his MVP-caliber campaign last year.
Diggs was the first receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019 to reach 1,000 receiving yards in New England, recording 85 catches for 1,013 yards and 4 touchdowns in his lone season with the Patriots.
Boutte didn't reach that threshold, but he showed major progress by becoming more involved in the offensive game plan, which helped him catch 33 passes for 551 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Now Maye has neither one of them to work with, while also dealing with the disappearance of Hunter Henry, who has been a complete non-factor since the season began. On top of that, the team hasn't established the run through three games, and that always hurts a quarterback if he can't mix things up or use his dual-threat players throughout the game.
Even worse, Diggs remains a legitimate threat for the Commanders this season, proving that any concerns the Patriots' front office had about how he would play at 33 shouldn't have factored into letting him go.
And while Boutte hasn't had the same success with the Texans, he would've been a major factor in the Patriots' offense with Brown out until potentially Week 7, so seeing that he's not a major component of Houston's offense only makes the situation more regrettable.
That, coupled with more offensive line trouble and Mack Hollins becoming Maye's No. 1 wideout, has led to the inevitable struggles for the quarterback, and they're now looking at a bleaker future for what should have been another exciting season.
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