PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK DRAKE MAYE
PRESS CONFERENCE
August 6, 2025
Q: How's it going, Drake?
DM: It's going, are y'all doing alright?
Q: Okay, Drake, so your coach is in the pile. Your coach gets a cut on his right cheek. What's that say about him?
DM: No, I feel – like I said, that's what we're trying to build, I think, and it starts with the coach, starts with the head coach. The intensity, bringing it every day, taking no crap when we're out there on the field. But also, it comes to a time where, with our guys offensively, and getting over there and getting some tussles, and kind of having some penalties, and extra after the whistle can get us in trouble. But for mentality, I like it. I think that's what you want. I mean, I almost got in there, but I think maybe another day, maybe. So, we'll see.
Q: What happened? Any idea what started it? It seemed like TreVeyon Henderson might have been a pass protector.
DM: Yeah, I think pass pro – I think it's physical. It's a physical game, it's a man's game, and things happen out there. I'm not sure if anything on this field happened, but I think there's a time where, obviously you don't want to come out here and fight and get in trouble, but at the same time, you don't want to back down from nobody. So, I'm sure coach will get the mind, pretty sure you can't have that, but at the same time, kind of in the back of our minds, that's kind of how we want to play. The intensity, and kind of when the whistle's going, play hard, and when the whistle stops, get off and get away.
Q: Drake, what did you like about what you guys were able to do today offensively? Itjust felt like you guys were in a pretty good rhythm to start.
DM: Yeah, I thought we moved well. It was good playing against another team, having all our guys out there and kind of getting the rhythm, build some plays together, and move the ball. I thought we did some good things offensively and wish we would have ended it better, tip ball down there, but hey, that happens, that's football, and that's why you practice those. But overall, I was proud up front. The guys up front, they battled hard. So, I'm looking forward to getting things going as we get into Minnesota and Friday night.
Q: How quickly do you feel like you're building your chemistry with Mack Hollins, considering how much time he missed in the offseason?
DM: Yeah, we're Tar Heels. The chemistry's already there, so it don't even matter.
Q: Drake, with the tip ball, was it an eyes thing or just kind of a bang-bang play?
DM: Yeah, it was a good play for Bobby [Wagner]. I think I could have looked him a different way and he barely got a hand out. I tried to throw it with some speed down there in the red zone to hopefully not have tip balls, but a good play by him. Unfortunate, but I think it was a good play, I think reading the eyes.
Q: Drake, do you look forward to playing in a preseason game?
DM: Yeah, I think preseason's a time to go out there and get the jitters. In real life, when I'm live, it's different for me being able to get tackled and get hit. So, it's good to go out there and kind of feel like live bullets are flying around and kind of not have that the first snap of the season.
Q: Did you have jitters, anticipation coming out here today?
DM: Yeah, any time, any practice, any team period, really. You get kind of the jitters of wanting to do things right and make good plays, and at the same time, it kind of balances out with the confidence in myself and the confidence in the guys around me. So, that's what makes the sport special.
Q: Do you feel like you're leaving the field today and saying, 'All right, that went fine.'?
DM: Yeah, it looked like some football out there against a different team. And it felt good to kind of get our operation done against somebody else. And we did some no huddle, I thought we went well. So, it was good for us to learn from it, watch it, and kind of just build off of it.
Q: Is it kind of affirming what you've been doing, what Josh [McDaniels] has been teaching, the new offense, and to kind of see it against another team, was it kind of a positive affirmation to you guys?
DM: Yeah, we definitely think positive. When you're moving the ball and feel like you had some good plays, it's positive. And coming out here, not like you didn't execute, didn't move the ball well, so it's always positive.
Q: You and Jayden [Daniels], obviously, same draft class, only one pick separates you two guys. You're probably going to be compared for the large part of your careers. How much do you put on yourself to sort of keep pace with him and everything he's doing? He obviously had a great year last year.
DM: Yeah, I saw him out there. Yeah, I congratulated him. What a year he had. Yeah, so I think there's always in the back of your mind the draft class you came in with, and anytime you play him, especially, it's a little different. But yeah, like you said, I think – just trying to worry about myself, but at the end of the day, keep up with those guys. Those guys are – him and Caleb [Williams] and Bo [Nix], those guys are good friends of mine, and they're friends until we play each other.
Q: Drake, how much do you appreciate TreVeyon's approach to pass pro? It seems like he takes it real serious.
DM: Yeah, I think you saw it in college. I think it speaks for itself, and I think coming here, in the NFL, when you've got Bobby Wagner coming in the A-gap, it's a little different, but I've got full confidence in him.
Q: You had the completion to Kayshon Boutte contested in the end zone. How much confidence do you have in Kayshon when you're throwing those contested balls?
DM: Yeah, coach keeps saying, 'You do the right thing, keep doing it over and over, and you're willing to block in the run game and I can trust you, you're going to be out there.' And I think there's a bunch of guys that are making things like that happen. [DeMario Douglas] Pop's doing a great job and different guys in the room. So, it's comforting knowing that they're going to be in the right spot, and it's my job to give them a chance.
Q: What was it like having Stef [Stefon Diggs] out there for some team drills?
DM: Yeah, it was good to get him in there at the end. I think anytime you kind of get him in the lineup, it adds a different kind of swagger in the huddle.
Q: Drake, how excited are you with Pop Douglas in this offense, for what you can potentially do?
DM: Yeah, I mean, Pop, I think he's tough to guard, like I said. You see it on little crossing routes and little quick moves when he's meeting a defender face-to-face. So, I think kind of all year, it's going to be our job to try to get him open in space and let him run with the football.
Q: Drake, on what you did today, seeing a different team, what's your thought process about the growth of your offensive line?
DM: Yeah, shoot, those guys are battling. Credit to those guys. We got some rookies in there. We got some veterans – Garrett [Bradbury] and [Morgan Moses] Big Mo's coming back, so credit to those guys. [Mike Onwenu] Big Mike, I mean, good gosh, shows up every day, doesn't complain, always in a good mood, and I think just credit those guys for starting to build – kind of build a front. And we got some guys coming in there that are kind of earning a role and kind of being the guys that dress on game day.
Q: Drake, did you happen to see [Mike] Vrabel bleeding?
DM: Yeah, I saw it, yeah. Somebody said it was like the [President Donald] Trump gunshot wound, so I was laughing at that. But no, I think, too, you saw he was breaking down the huddle, and I'm not even sure what happened, when it happened, but he said, 'Ah, don't worry about it, we'll see it on film.' So, we'll see something.
Q: Drake, it seems like you've done a really good job avoiding bad looks as a passer this season. I'm wondering, how much of that is just your own maturation, and how much of that is working with Josh McDaniels?
DM: Yeah, I think it's built within the offense, but also at the same time, we always talk about in the quarterback room, 'Do we have a good play? Or do we have a bad look?' And there's some times out there where I felt like we had a bad look and I'm just trying to get to a better play.
Q: Drake, I know you're a UNC guy, but Jayson Tatum here today, you don't usually see those guys around here too much. What was it like to see him?
DM: Yeah, shoot. He's a Duke guy, but what he's done for Boston and, obviously, I told him what a heartbreak what happened with him. I'm looking forward to seeing him come back. And it's a funny story, my brother's here. My oldest brother, Luke, his first start was in Cameron [Indoor Stadium] against Duke, and he was guarding Jayson in his first start. So, it's pretty cool.
Q: Do you still compare yourself to Jayson as a basketball player? You said that your rookie year.
DM: Like I say, it'd be way off-brand, but he's got probably a way bigger bag than I do.
