The reasons for Mike Vrabel to return to Foxborough were aplenty. The one under center might have tipped the scales.
The former New England Patriots great-turned-head coach recently told OutKick's "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" that second-year quarterback Drake Maye is a big reason he chose to take the Pats gig.
"I see a young, athletic, talented, full-of-potential player," Vrabel said, via the Boston Globe. "Excited to build this team around (him) and a large part of the reason why I wanted to be here. And just that talent level, to be able to build around him and to be able to grow and help him and lead and run an offense and run a football team is something that I'm excited about."
Despite playing with less-than surrounding talent, Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in 2024, showed sky-high upside in his rookie campaign. In 12 starts, Maye completed 66.6% of his passes for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The 22-year-old's willingness to make plays while getting crunched behind a porous offensive line should translate well as the setting improves in New England, including bringing in veteran receiver Stefon Diggs this week. Maye displayed versatility, using his legs when needed, a boon in modern offenses.
"He can throw from in the pocket, he can throw off platform, he can run, he can scramble," Vrabel said of Maye. "You can design some things for him. So I think you have pretty much everything in the playbook that you could possibly want available. He's not just a pocket passer. He's not just a guy that's going to run. So there's a lot of different ways that we're hoping that he can be successful."
The Patriots have a lot of questions entering 2025. However, two big ones appear to be solidified: QB and head coach.
