Patriots
“I think that he exemplifies football.”
Drake Maye might be Josh Allen’s division rival, but that won’t stop the Bills quarterback from showing some love toward the Patriots quarterback.
When Allen was asked about how new Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs could help Maye in an interview with Sports Illustrated, he praised New England’s young standout at quarterback.
“I think he brings a lot of security for Drake,” Allen told Sports Illustrated’s Liam McKeone. “Obviously, having the knowledge of playing in the league for so long, he has that veteran mentorship that he can give to Drake. I think Drake is super talented, he’s one of my favorite young quarterbacks in the league.”
As Allen continued, he shared that he and Maye have actually gotten to know each other a little bit off the field and explained why he’s “one of my favorite young quarterbacks in the league.”
“I’ve spent some time around him and he’s got his head on his shoulders the right way. He just does things the right way,” Allen said. “I think that he exemplifies football. He’ll take it and run, he’ll throw it and to have someone like Stefon is going to help him out a lot.”
Maye was actually compared to Allen by many scouts and draft analysts before the Patriots took him with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The two quarterbacks have a similar frame, with Maye standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 225 pounds, while Allen is 6-5 and 237 pounds.
More importantly, the two quarterbacks have a similar play style. Both quarterbacks have been praised for their strong arms, with Allen showcasing his over the years en route to winning MVP in 2024. Maye, meanwhile, made some impressive downfield passes with his arm, such as the 28-yard touchdown pass he threw to Kayshon Boutte against the Bills in Buffalo last season.
Both quarterbacks also have similar running styles. They often try to barrel over opposing defenders when they tuck and run, sometimes to the chagrin of their own coaches. But each quarterback has found success running the ball that way. Allen ran for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, while Maye rushed for 421 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games.
Prior to the Patriots’ Week 16 matchup against the Bills this past season, Maye shared that he’s a “big fan” of Allen’s as well, saying he’ll watch his games and highlights on a frequent basis. He’s also cognizant of the comparisons he gets to the Bills quarterback, but thinks he’s “got a long way to go” before reaching Allen’s status.
“What a player he is, playing at an MVP level,” Maye said in December. “I think the biggest thing is just the progression he’s made. I think what he dealt with, whether coming out of college or his first years here, I feel like everybody was just kind of not giving him the credit he deserved.
“Now, you can see kind of the full fruition of what he’s doing and the level he’s playing at. Just, like I said, fun to watch, and I think I’ve got a long way to go to get to anywhere close to playing at his level.”
Even though the Patriots had an abysmal 2024 campaign, Maye showed some flashes of potentially being a franchise quarterback. He also arguably outplayed Allen as a rookie. Maye completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with an 88.1 passer rating.
As for Allen, he was pretty abysmal as a passer in his rookie season. He completed 52.8 percent of his passes for 2,074 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a 67.9 passer rating in 2018. Allen did edge out Maye in volume rushing stats (631 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns), but Maye’s 7.8 yards per carry in 2024 was the third-best mark for a quarterback ever in a single season.
Obviously, Maye has a bit of a way to go before reaching the status that Allen is at now. But he’s shown some flashes that Allen and the Bills have seemed to have taken note of.
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