Drake Maye Gets Clear Warning From Former Patriots QB Ahead of Season

As NFL fans witnessed the fall of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs last season in the AFC, they also saw the rise of emerging young star quarterback Drake Maye and the New England Patriots.

Maye led the Mike Vrabel-coached squad back to the Super Bowl, something many people might have considered improbable only six years after the departure of NFL legend Tom Brady.

However, Maye’s abilities as a quarterback were clearly a significant part of that, as he also was among the top few contenders for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, which ultimately went to the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford.

Maye, who turns 24 in late August, is now heading into his third season as the Patriots’ QB1, and that means the expectations will likely continue after how far he and the team went in their 2025 campaign.

However, former Patriots starter Drew Bledsoe, recently cautioned Maye and others about those expectations.

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“He’s got all the things, and there’s a different kind of pressure that comes with that,” Bledsoe said on “Up & Adams with Kay Adams.”

“He’s got all the pieces to the puzzle, and they also went on this pretty amazing run last year and a lot of things had to fall into place in order for them to make it to the Super Bowl,” he told Kay Adams, adding, “I think the one thing I would say … temper your expectations just a little bit.”

Bledsoe said it’s extremely difficult to win the MVP and the Super Bowl after Maye and the Patriots nearly did those things last season. With that, he said fans should also appreciate Maye for what he’s doing and realize he’s “very talented” and will continue improving in his career.

He admitted that he was in a similar spot to Maye at age 24 on the Patriots, and people “put you up on a pedestal that’s almost unobtainable,” but “then from there, they just shoot at you.”

Bledsoe mentioned that one thing the Patriots had in their favor last season was “one of the most beneficial schedules in the league.” That is seemingly out the window in the coming season, based on some of the challenging opponents they’ll face, including an early Super Bowl rematch against the Seattle Seahawks, and games against all four NFC North teams.

“All you can do is what you can do. You show up. You work your butt off. You play as hard as you can, and you go forward each and every day,” he said, adding he wasn’t worried about Maye navigating the expectations and criticism that come after last season’s success.

The former Patriots quarterback’s word of wisdom comes from a very unique situation compared to Maye’s, where Bledsoe was considered the QB1 for New England, guiding them to a Super Bowl, but then lost his footing as the starter to a guy named Tom Brady. Still, Bledsoe realizes what sort of pressure and criticism come with the job of being the team leader.

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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 4:13 PM.