Coach rumored to have "huge role" in Drake Maye's development is concerning

Besides the immense pressure on the new Patriots staff to have made the right selection in Drake Maye as the team's next franchise quarterback, there's also a lot riding on properly coaching and developing him to avoid another Mac Jones disaster.

There are plenty of arguments to be made about what exactly went wrong with the former Alabama quarterback who was traded earlier this offseason.

But it seems fair to believe he wasn't given a proper chance to succeed during his time in Foxboro, mainly due to the revolving door of offensive coordinators, poor coaching additions, and a lack of adequate roster building.

The first few seasons in a young quarterback's NFL career are vital, and if they're not set up to succeed in most areas, then it's impossible to believe they could do anything besides fail. That can't be Maye's fate, not just because he is considered to be a better quarterback than Jones but because the Patriots don't have time to waste on another mistake at the position.

Because that's just one part of what Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf will be dealing with in their tenure, the alleged decision to have one failed head coach have a prominent role in Maye's development is incredibly concerning, especially since that was a move Bill Belichick also made with Jones.

Ben McAdoo's rumored "huge role" in Drake Maye's development is a little bit concerning

When it was announced that former Giants coach Ben McAdoo was joining Mayo's staff, it didn't receive the warmest of reactions. The 46-year-old has had a roller-coaster career in the NFL, with his most memorable stint being New York's head coach during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

The NFC East team went 13-15 under his leadership, which prompted the team to fire him in December of the 2017 season. He then remained unemployed by the NFL until the Jaguars brought him in as a quarterbacks coach in 2020, followed by a year with the Cowboys and Panthers.

McAdoo was not working in the league during the 2023 season either. Then the Patriots called to hire him as a Senior offensive assistant this offseason, which has now progressed to working directly with Drake Maye.

NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe revealed that when speaking to Patriots Daily last week and given McAdoo's resume, the idea of him being hands-on with the new quarterback is a little worrisome.

“One thing I was told by Jerod [Mayo] and by multiple people, Ben McAdoo is going to have a huge role for Drake Maye.

“They hired him for a reason. They think that he’s a quarterback savant. He’s been a former head coach, and there’s a thought there that he can develop Drake Maye. Not saying that he’s going to have more role than Alex Van Pelt. But, I’d say that Ben McAdoo is going to have a really significant role in developing Drake Maye.”

Although there are valid concerns with his involvement, given his history with Eli Manning, he's also been credited with having a good sense of talent when evaluating prospects in the draft. He reportedly tried to have the Giants draft Patrick Mahomes in 2017, only for them to select Davis Webb in the third round instead.

"And when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks, McAdoo reportedly has shown a keen eye. There are rumors he was unsuccessfully trying to convince the Giants to trade up for Patrick Mahomes in 2017, and he later told the New York Post that he had Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson as his top options the following year — all while being less convinced about Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold (who he coincidentally later both coached in Carolina) in 2018."

If he still holds a similar mindset to that from seven years ago, perhaps him working with a guy like Maye won't be as scary as some may think. Clearly, Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen were the best of that year's class and remain at the top of the league many years later.

Hopefully, with a prospect like Maye, he can help coach him to the best of his abilities to prove Mayo's belief that he is a "quarterback savant."

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