Patriots training camp got underway on Saturday morning, with third-year QB Drake Maye leading his teammates in a 90-minute session on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.
Although it's early days where there are always some inconsistencies, Maye and the Patriots offense came alive more than once to showcase the explosive attack that fans on-hand became accustomed to seeing last season. The Pats QB completed a deep pass down the left sideline to WR Kayshon Boutte, layered a perfectly placed seam pass into TE Hunter Henry, and found DeMario Douglas working out of the slot on a crossing route for some vintage big-play Maye.
Speaking to reporters after practice, Maye set the table for his third season, where he'll look to build on his MVP runner-up campaign while working again with reigning NFL Assistant Coach of the Year, Josh McDaniels. It's the first time that Maye's had the same play-caller in consecutive seasons since he was quarterbacking Myers Park High School in North Carolina. For Maye, using the comfort level he has in his second season inside McDaniels's system and the Patriots loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX in February as motivation were headlines from his first press conference of training camp.
"It's great to be back out here; that's the first thing. Shout out to the fans. The guys had some energy and we have to clean some things up, but I think we made some plays. We just have to be more consistent and more efficient," Maye told reporters.
Maye was asked about turning the page from last year and acknowledged that the Super Bowl loss "still stings" over five months later. However, Maye added that it gives him extra motivation to get over the final hurdle by winning the Super Bowl this season.
"Obviously, it still stings, but I don't think it's very hard [to turn the page] because you're still hungry. You've got something to chase. That's one of the best things about experiencing it and not finishing off where we wanted," Maye said. "You experienced it, you know what it's like, and you know what it takes to get there. Our standard from last year, just play the same way and we'll make it there.
"Week 1 speaks for itself with a rematch, so we have to bring our "A" game and it starts in camp. It gives us a great mindset of getting going early to fire on all cylinders. We have some tough work but I'm looking forward to it," Maye continued.
After changing offensive coordinators from his first to his second season in New England, McDaniels's return to coordinate the Patriots offense will hopefully give Maye a leg up this season. For a young quarterback, having scheme continuity from one year to the next is huge in the NFL.
"Understanding the little things. Going through the installs and understanding the little details that Coach [McDaniels] talks about and knowing them before he tries to reiterate it to us. One of the biggest things is just seeing plays that we've run against certain defenses over and over again. You understand better answers, better places to go with the football, and better timing," Maye said of working with McDaniels.
Although his offensive coordinator stayed the same, there are some new faces in the Patriots offense around Maye. Most notably, newcomers A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs at wide receiver, while second-year pro Jared Wilson is sliding over to center. Wilson noted that Maye isn't particular about where to snap the football, while the Pats QB also got his teammates together during the summer break in North Carolina for a three-day throwing summit.
"We had the guys come to North Carolina again like last year. Got on the lake and got three days of work. It was good to have those guys there and I think it's huge in the offseason right before camp to get guys going. I feel like we had a good group and some fun sessions. It was good work," Maye said of hosting his teammates over the summer.
As for working with Wilson, Maye took responsibility for a bobbled snap during Saturday's session as the two continue to get to know each other's preferences under center.
"Jared is a natural there. You get to know a center for a year, you get to know his little things and how he likes things. If he's going left, and I'm going right, how it works. Little under center things and how he understands MIKE points," Maye said. "Jared is smart. He wanted to play with me in college but he went to the SEC and I don't blame him. He's done a great job of understanding what it takes to play center. You've got to be loud. Me and you, it's our show."
Lastly, another talking point from the coaching staff as camp starts is for the offense to operate faster this season. In 2025, New England was 28th in pace (seconds per play) and 17th in offensive plays per game. Some of that was because they were protecting leads late in games, but the goal is to run more plays and catch defenses off guard by getting the snap off faster.
"If we have a good play that we like against a defense, just train our guys that once we get down on the football, get set, we're going," Maye said. "We did a lot of great things on offense. We had a bunch of statistics where we did a bunch of things that ranked high in the league. Just want to create more plays, snapping the ball earlier in the play clock and getting things going."
By design, the first four training camp practices are slower-paced as part of the league's ramp-up period protocols. The Patriots won't be in full pads until Thursday's practice, with the first few sessions being an extension of the spring (OTAs and minicamp). Still, there's always excitement around the first day of training camp and seeing Maye throwing passes again.
The Patriots will be back on the practice field for day two of training camp on Sunday.
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