Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye added to Pro Bowl roster as replacement

Doug Kyed, Boston Herald on Jan 28, 2025

Published in Football

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BOSTON — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye will hit pause on his offseason.

The rookie quarterback was named to the Pro Bowl roster as a replacement on Tuesday. Maye will take part in the Pro Bowl games, which start Thursday, Jan. 30 and run through Sunday, Feb. 2.

Maye had an impressive rookie campaign, starting 12 games and completing 66.6% of his passes for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Maye also added 421 rushing yards on 54 attempts with two more touchdowns.

It wasn’t all great for Maye, who finished seventh in the league with nine fumbles. He missed most of one start in concussion protocol and played just one series in the Patriots’ final games. The Patriots were 1-9 in games Maye started and finished. They won both games he left early, so the Patriots were officially 3-9 in Maye’s starts.

It’s the second time a Patriots rookie quarterback will take part in the Pro Bowl in the last four seasons. Mac Jones was also a Pro Bowl replacement as a rookie in 2021.

Maye began his rookie season as Jacoby Brissett’s backup. He was thrust into the starting role in Week 6 of the 2024 season in a 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans.

Maye ranked 28th out of 39 qualified quarterbacks with a 70.1 overall PFF grade in 2024. He was 29th with a 64.9 passing grade and eighth with an 82.9 rushing mark. His big-time throw rate of 3.7% ranked 22nd, and his 3.5% turnover-worthy play rate was 27th.

He was 29th in EPA/play, 18th in success rate, 12th in completion percentage over expected and 24th in EPA + CPOE composite.

Maye replaces Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who opted out of the Pro Bowl games after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Maye will have a new head coach in Mike Vrabel and offense staff around him in 2024. Josh McDaniels was named offensive coordinator in his third stint with the Patriots. McDaniels also coached Jones during his Pro Bowl season in 2021. He replaces Alex Van Pelt.

Ashton Grant will be Maye’s quarterbacks coach, replacing T.C. McCartney. Grant, a Manchester, Conn., native, played wide receiver at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. He served as an offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach with the Browns in 2023 and 2024. He joined the Browns in 2020 in a Bill Walsh NFL diversity coaching fellowship. He was named an offensive quality control coach in 2022.

Grant worked with Vrabel on the Browns in 2024. Vrabel served as a coaching and personnel assistant in Cleveland for one year after being fired by the Tennessee Titans following the 2023 season.

“He’s exciting, talented, ready to learn and ready to continue to develop,” Vrabel said of Maye on WBZ over the weekend. “He’s athletic and mobile, has the ability to make throws to all part of the field with arm talent. But every year is a new process. There will be some new terminology, and some carryover from what he’s had. I know that he’s ready to learn and is excited. We welcome that and want him to lead our football team.”

Maye got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Ann Michael Hudson, since his rookie season ended. He was recently posting on social media from Florida at TGL Golf.

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