The campaign for Drake Maye to win the NFL’s MVP award in his first full season as a starter will forge on, but fans of the New England Patriots know what’s coming.
Anything’s possible, of course, as the Associated Press voters could decide to split the first-team All-Pro and MVP honors, like they did last year with Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. But if we’re all being honest with ourselves, the writing’s on the wall.
Only three players in NFL history, including Allen in 2024, have won the MVP award without also being named first-team All-Pro. Maye landing on the second team last week all but cements the first MVP award for Matthew Stafford in his 17-year career.
Patriots fans won’t have to look hard to find stats that sway the argument Maye’s way, but it’s the same deal for Rams fans and Stafford. It’s worth noting that Pro Football Focus, the analytics-based site owned by broadcaster Cris Collinsworth, backed Stafford as its pick for MVP this week.
PFF did, however, give special recognition to Maye in its season superlatives. If this year’s official MVP announcement in February turns out as expected, this is exactly what Patriots fans should be holding onto entering the divisional round of the playoffs and beyond.
Pro Football Focus puts a deserved stamp on Drake Maye’s breakout season
Maye might get robbed of the MVP award after an extremely deserving 2025 run, but the NFL can no longer deny the reality of the 2025 season. Led by head coach Mike Vrabel and the unprecedented play of his 23-year-old QB, the Patriots are not only back — but could be a problem in the AFC for a long, long time. Again.
The true value that Maye, Vrabel, and the Patriots brought to the table this year goes beyond an award voted on by a random panel of sportswriters. They brought pride and belief back to a fanbase that could barely stomach what they were watching on Sundays over the past two years, and that’s worth its weight in gold.
Oh, and it helps when Maye’s doing things never before seen by a player with barely 30 career NFL starts.
“After finishing second to Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for PFF Most Valuable Player honors, Maye still took home PFF Breakout Player of the Year. The second-year quarterback ranked third among all quarterbacks in PFF overall grade (90.1) and tied for eighth in big-time throw rate (4.9%),” the PFF staff report stated.
“He also tied for 11th in turnover-worthy play rate (2.7%) and ranked third among all players in total positively graded plays (205), closing the season with seven games earning a PFF overall grade of 80.0 or higher.”
Maye’s the NFL's obvious Breakout Player of the Year. And while he definitely deserved the first-team All-Pro nod over Stafford this year, there's an obvious silver lining. He’ll have something to strive for in future seasons as the Patriots hunt the first Super Bowl title in franchise history without Tom Brady under center.
The NFL and the national media may not be ready to admit it, but the full Patriots' true breakthrough is coming, possibly as soon as this coming February.