Patriots, Drake Maye hope winning continues to cure any potential selfishness
· Doug Kyed · 2026-08-11 · nguồn gốc
FOXBORO — The Patriots went a full season without wide receivers demanding more targets. They’re hoping for a repeat in 2026.
It probably helped that the 2025 Patriots went 13-4 and made the Super Bowl, but quarterback Drake Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel are hoping for no drama this season as A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs replace another big personality, Stefon Diggs, in the wide receiver room.
“I think the best thing for that is winning,” Maye said after Tuesday’s joint practice with the Colts. “I think nobody really tries to complain when you win games, and I think nobody’s that prideful in this sport about personal stats or achievements when we’re winning games, so that’s our job as a team, and come together and try to win games.
“So that’s the biggest thing that coach is preaching, and we’re trying to be second voices of him, and knowing that you protect the football team and do things the right way. But no, I think my job isn’t to try to make everybody happy. I think my job is to have the offense move up and down the field and score points.”
Brown did famously post on Instagram after the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win, a game in which he had three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown, “After a few days, I’ve had time to reflect on being a champion. I tried to feel how everyone made it seem to be a champion, and unfortunately it was short-lived … two days to be exact lol.
“I’ve never been a champion at the highest level before, but I thought my hard work would be justified by winning it all. It wasn’t. My thrill for this game comes when I dominate. It’s the hunt that does it for me. It’s when the DB drops his head and surrenders because he can’t F with me. The intense battles. Early mornings. Late nights. Sacrifices. I love putting smiles on peoples’ faces, don’t get me wrong, but it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. It’s the journey that I love the most. BACK 2 Work!”
Brown got his wish to be traded to the Patriots, however, and perhaps his buy-in will be different back with Vrabel as his head coach. The two previously worked together with the Titans.
Maye is feeling good overall about his supporting cast on offense, as well he should. The Patriots not only added Brown and Doubs, but they selected tight end Eli Raridon and offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed fullback Reggie Gilliam and left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker in free agency.
On paper, it’s by far the best offense Maye has been a part of during his three seasons with the Patriots.
“Our room’s great,” Maye said. “I think our skill position room’s great, and we got a lot of depth and a lot of guys that really want to get in there and make plays. So I think that’s the best thing about is it’s competitive in there. You got guys that are making plays all across the board. So it’s my job to get them the ball, and they’re better runners than I am. So get them the football and let them do their thing.”
Maye also said he was feeling secure in the pocket during the joint practice session with the Colts.
Two years ago, joint practices against the Eagles were a wake-up call for the offensive line, which was surrendering constant pressure. Maye had plenty of time to throw on Tuesday.
“Didn’t really feel like we had some free hitters for the football in my group,” Maye said. “So, thought the guys up front did a great job in the pocket. I felt pretty good all day. So then from there, just continue to build on it.”
Maye had a solid outing overall, connecting on 15-of-23 passes with an interception in 11-on-11s, 4-of-6 in 7-on-7s and 9-of-13 in 1-on-1s.
His first pass of the day to Brown in 1-on-1s has gone viral with Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner, who was in coverage, getting in his feelings and tweeting in defense of the play.
“All this from a 1on1 rep?” Gardner tweeted with a crying laughing emoji. “(And) a 8 yard sit route at that? It’s a reason that’s the only one yall saw.”
Gardner ended the tweet with a sleeping emoji and a lock.
It wasn’t a perfect day for Maye, however. Colts cornerback Justin Walley dropped an interception when Brown fell during a route in 11-on-11s. Maye ended the day by throwing an interception to Colts safety Camryn Bynum on a target into the end zone to DeMario Douglas.
“I believe it may have been second down, so I got to check the football,” Maye said. “We were second and maybe 13. We got a false start, and we’ve got 25 seconds left. We got no timeouts trying to score a touchdown, so I gave a shot to the end zone and got to give our guys a chance.”
Maye was asked overall what he learned about his offense during Tuesday’s practice, the first of the summer against a different opponent.
“I think you just learn about who’s kind of stepping up to the occasion,” Maye said. “I think a lot of the guys responded today, and I think a lot of different guys made plays, a lot of guys in the red zone were making plays, and I think you just see time and time again, when we can use everybody, how hard it is on defense.”
Brown caught five passes from Maye during team drills. Raridon also stepped up with four catches in team drills and a win in 1-on-1s. Wide receiver Efton Chism also continued to stand out, winning two reps in 1-on-1s and catching three passes in team drills.