2024 during his rookie season in 2024 The
New England Patriots selected Maye with the third overall pick in the
2024 NFL draft. He was the first Patriot since
Drew Bledsoe in
1993 selected in the top five picks of the draft, and the third of a record-tying six quarterbacks taken in the first round (tied with the
1983 draft). The Patriots reportedly declined offers for their pick from the
Minnesota Vikings and
New York Giants that would have included additional first-round draft picks. Maye signed a four-year, fully-guaranteed contract worth $36.64 million on May 28, 2024. He was the second consecutive Patriots first-round rookie quarterback to choose the number 10, following
Mac Jones. Despite a strong preseason, Maye was named a backup to veteran
Jacoby Brissett to begin his rookie season. Maye made his regular season debut in Week 3, entering in the fourth quarter of the Patriots' 24–3 road loss to the
New York Jets. Maye finished the game, completing four of eight passes for 22 yards and rushing for 12 yards. On October 8, 2024, after the Patriots fell to 1–4 and continued struggles from Brissett, Maye was named the starting quarterback. In his first start against the
Houston Texans, Maye completed 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the 41–21 loss; he also led the team with 38 rushing yards. Maye's three touchdowns were one more than Brissett had thrown in his five 2024 starts, and Maye became the first quarterback since at least 1950 to throw three touchdown passes and lead his team in rushing in his first start. In Week 8 against the Jets, Maye recorded a rushing touchdown before exiting the game in the second quarter with a head injury, later diagnosed as a concussion. The Patriots would go on to win 25–22. The Patriots finished the season with a 4–13 record and did not make the playoffs. Maye finished his rookie season throwing for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Maye's first 10 passing touchdowns went to ten different receivers, making him the first NFL quarterback to accomplish that feat since
Steve Ramsey did so in 1973. In January 2025, Maye was selected to play in the
2025 Pro Bowl Games as a replacement for
Buffalo Bills quarterback
Josh Allen.
2025 The 2025 season began with changes in the Patriots' coaching staff with the hiring of new head coach
Mike Vrabel and the return of offensive coordinator
Josh McDaniels. Vrabel cited the presence of Maye as being one of his reasons for taking the position. During the 2025 season, Maye was given the nickname of "Drake Maye", as Patriots teammates started referring to him as Drake "Drake Maye" Maye. The moniker came from a social media humor
fanpage dedicated to Maye, and it became a popular
meme. In Week 5 against the
Buffalo Bills, Maye completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards, including leading a 37-yard game-winning drive to allow
Andrés Borregales to convert a 52-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to win the game 23–20. In Week 7 against the
Tennessee Titans, Maye set a franchise record in completion percentage in a regular-season game, completing 21 of 23 passes, a 91.3% completion percentage, overtaking
Tom Brady’s 88.5%, while also throwing for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the 31–13 victory. In Week 13 against the
New York Giants, Maye completed 24 of 31 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns in the 33–15 victory, and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Maye led the Patriots to their first playoff berth since 2021 in a 28–24 Week 16 victory against the
Baltimore Ravens, completing 31 of 44 passes for 380 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, including leading an 89-yard drive late in the fourth quarter that ended in a
Rhamondre Stevenson rushing touchdown to take the lead. This was the first 300-yard game of Maye's career. In this game, Maye had 1.28 EPA (expected points added) per dropback, the highest value on that measure since 2000, as well as a 99.8
QBR, the highest value in that stat's history. Maye finished the 2025 season throwing 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was named to the
NFL All-Pro second team. He was also selected for the
2026 Pro Bowl Games for the second time, and for the first time on the initial ballot. He finished second in the voting for Most Valuable Player to
Matthew Stafford, finishing with 361 points to Stafford's 366; Maye received 23 first-place votes to Stafford's 24. In the
Wild Card Round against the
Los Angeles Chargers, Maye made his playoff debut, completing 17 of 29 passes for 268 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while also leading the team in rushing with 66 yards in the 16–3 victory. In the
Divisional Round against the
Houston Texans, Maye completed 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards with three touchdowns and one interception as the Patriots beat the Texans 28–16, marking the Patriots' first win in the Divisional Round and their first
AFC Championship appearance since
2018. In the
AFC Championship against the
Denver Broncos, Maye completed 10 of 21 passes for only 86 yards due to snowy conditions, but rushed for 65 yards and one touchdown. Maye's rushing touchdown would be the Patriots' only touchdown in the 10–7 win. With the win, the Patriots advanced to
Super Bowl LX against the
Seattle Seahawks, their first Super Bowl appearance in seven seasons. Maye struggled in Super Bowl LX, where he completed 27 of 43 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions (the second returned for a pick–six), was sacked six times, and lost a fumble as the Seahawks won 29–13. == Career statistics ==