Does Patriots' Drake Maye have 'too much on plate?' Here's what he said

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) passes the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half at Gillette Stadium

As Drake Maye and the New England Patriots look to bounce back from their 20-13 Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, they’ll need a steady performance from their starting quarterback. After their seven-point loss on Sunday, head coach Mike Vrabel vowed to evaluate Maye’s performance before their Week 2 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. However, his starting QB made an interesting revelation amid practice.

Maye’s recent comments responded to Patriots fans wondering if the second-year QB is perhaps overwhelmed at the start of the 2025 NFL season, per MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels.

“No. Any time you’re playing quarterback in the NFL, there’s a lot on your plate,” Maye said. “It’s something I don’t take for granted.”

The role of a starting QB in the NFL isn’t easy. It’s something that Maye will continue to prove himself worthy of at the beginning of his second season with the Patriots. However, the pressure’s on after a disappointing start to the season. One game into his second year, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons has already given up on Maye despite his strong support during the offseason.

“Being bullish on the Pats and gradually coming off of it the last two or three weeks, as a couple of injuries and just some of the feedback coming out of camp and the coaching staff,” Simmons said. “And it just seemed like they were kind of preparing people like, ‘Yo, we’ve had a lot of turnover, we don’t have high expectations.’”

Mike Vrabel reacts to Drake Maye’s performance in Patriots loss

Does Patriots' Drake Maye have 'too much on plate?' Here's what he said — Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will spend the rest of the week preparing Drake Maye and his team for their divisional matchup against the Dolphins. Ahead of Week 2, Vrabel says setting his starting QB for success is critical for his coaching staff, per Sports Illustrated’s Mike Kadlick.

“I think we have to evaluate that,” Vrabel said. “I think we have to find out, is there something there… we have to figure out what our guys do best and do that. We just have to make sure that we’re giving him answers without having him do too much.”

The Patriots will face the Dolphins on the road on Sunday.