The Patriots will start their offseason program next week and that will give quarterback Drake Maye his first chance to work with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
McDaniels returned to New England after Mike Vrabel was hired as the head coach and he said in a Thursday press conference that he is "smitten" with the 2024 first-round pick's personality. He also said it will be "super fun" for him to get to know Maye on the football field in order to craft an offensive approach that will "maximize" what the quarterback can do.
That will come within the framework of McDaniels's overall scheme and he said that there will be a transition period for Maye as he learns the system, although he doesn't expect the process to be a particularly trying one.
"It'll be different," McDaniels said, via a transcript from the team. "I think that sometimes it can get overblown because one word is apple, another word is tomato, and one system it means one thing and another system it means something else. The guys, just like 'Men in Black,' you take the thing and just wipe the memory clean from some of the things, but a lot of it is what you call this, now we call this, and it takes them a little bit of time to acclimate to that. Our staff, we've done the same thing, and we've – honestly, we've changed some things, and I'm in the process of doing the same thing, too. So, what we used to call something, now we call something else because we've agreed that it's the best thing to do for the team. So, we're all going to be in that same boat. I'm sure we'll come up with a friendly, fine system when we use terms that don't mean anything to us now that used to. But no, I don't expect there to be – there will be a period of adjustment, but I don't think that will be a big deal."
Maye was about the only positive for the Patriots during a dismal 2024 season. Vrabel and McDaniels were hired to help ensure there's more to like in New England in 2025 and beyond, but getting the most out of Maye will remain crucial to all of the team's plans.
