PATRIOTS SIGN ROOKIE QB DRAKE MAYE TO FOUR-YEAR, $36.639 MILLION DEAL
The New England Patriots have signed first-round quarterback Drake Maye to his rookie deal, the team announced on Tuesday.
Maye is the latest first-round draft pick to put pen to paper after agreeing to a four-year, $36.639 million deal, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The contract includes a hefty $23.467 million signing bonus. New England also has the standard option of picking up a fifth-year.
The former UNC quarterback was selected by the Patriots with the 3rd overall pick of the NFL Draft last month after a stellar collegiate career in the Tar Heel state.
Maye completed 618 of his 952 pass attempts in his time at the University of North Carolina (64.91 comp pct), and threw for 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns across three years. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback started all 12 games for the Tar Heels in 2023 and threw for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns, while also completing 63.29% of his passes (269/425).
The 21-year-old was the third straight quarterback off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft, going just after the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders selected USC QB Caleb Williams and LSU QB Jayden Daniels respectively. Maye is thought to be the Patriots quarterback of the future and is expected to sit behind QB Jacoby Brissett for a good portion of this year.
New Patriots’ head coach, Jerod Mayo, who told the media earlier this month he knew his legacy as a head coach will be “defined” by Maye’s success, said the young rookie still has a lot to work on. “Look, he has a lot to work on,” said Mayo at Patriots’ rookie minicamp a few weeks ago. “A lot to work on, but I have no doubt that will put the time in. You didn’t see him out here yesterday, but he was here all night trying to get on the same page as everyone else.”
Maye, for the most part, agreed with his head coach and conceded that there’s still things he can improve on with his quarterback play and plenty to still be learnt in order to succeed in the Patriots’ scheme. “It’s been good,” said Maye. “I think kind of the first day just feeling it out and just getting more and more reps. That’s all something new takes – getting more reps at it… I feel pretty good out there today, so just have to keep working.”
With Maye now signed and veteran Nathan Rourke waived a few weeks ago, the Patriots officially have four quarterbacks signed to their roster, including Maye, Brissett, last year’s six-game starter Bailey Zappe, and 2024 sixth-round pick Joe Milton. That quarterback room will eventually be trimmed down for the season before the fall but for now, Maye’s only focus is on getting better, and not letting high expectations get in the way of the work still to be done.
Patriots’ former de facto manager and new executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said on Kay Adams’ The Up And Adams Show on Tuesday that the decision on when Maye will be ready to take over the starting job will be a collaborative effort. Wolf also emphasized that the team was planning on Jacoby Brissett being the guy for 2024.
“I think those will be some important conversations for us to have,” said Wolf. “Right now, it’s Jacoby Brissett. He’s taking the first [team] reps, and we’re excited about what he’s shown, not only off the field but also on the field with his throwing ability. Drake Maye, let’s be honest, we’ve had him for three weeks now. There’s a long way to go to for all of our rookies and all of our players as we adapt to this new scheme that [new offensive coordinator Alex] Van Pelt is implementing offensively.”
“So we’ll have those conversations as they arise. I’m sure it’s going to be a collaborative approach as it’s been so far with really all the big decisions that we’ve made. All four of the quarterbacks that we have on the roster right now are working hard and ready to go.”
New England traded 2021 first-round quarterback, Mac Jones, who had been the team’s starter over the last three years, to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft.
Another 2024 first-round pick who got his rookie contract done on Tuesday is Cardinal’s DE Darius Robinson. The defensive lineman’s deal, which was negotiated by Chris Cabott of Equity Sports, is an impressive four-year, fully guaranteed $13.869 million.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
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