We’ve reached the point in the NFL season where illegitimate MVP cases fall apart, but Drake Maye is here to stay. The New England Patriots QB is currently the favorite by a slim margin on ESPN BET, and there are some real contenders who could easily surpass him in the coming weeks. But if the season ended today, Maye would have a real shot at joining a very rare group of special NFL talents.
Drake Maye is a legitimate MVP candidate
If Drake Maye does go on to win the NFL MVP award, he would become just the third player to do so in his second season. Maye was drafted in 2024 and started most but not all of the games, so this is his first full season. The same was true of both Patrick Mahomes (2019) and Lamar Jackson (2020). They won MVP the year after being drafted and were not day one starters in their rookie seasons. Mahomes started one game his rookie year, so he remains the poster child, but Jackson’s MVP was special, and a theoretical Maye award would be, too.
In fact, it might be more special. Mahomes got to play for Andy Reid, maybe the best offensive coach in NFL history. He also had Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt, and Travis Kelce to throw to and play with. If ever there was an ideal situation for a second-year player, it was that. Jackson came into a roster that was already quite strong and had a pretty good coach, although John Harbaugh is definitely no Andy Reid and isn’t even an offensive coach. Maye doesn’t really have any of that.
Already the NFL Passing Yards Leader
Mike Vrabel is a good coach, but he’s not an offensive guy. Josh McDaniels is Maye’s offensive coordinator, and he’s a two-time failed head coach. The Pats QB doesn’t have a star receiver to throw to, although Stefon Diggs with a banged-up knee is pretty close. He’s got a rookie running back, mediocre wide receivers, and is on a team that had one of the worst rosters in football just last year. He’s doing an incredible job of carrying a lackluster team to the best record in football.
That right there is why he’d win MVP. He doesn’t quite have the stats, although his are excellent. He leads the NFL in passing yards, but that’s because he already played. Daniel Jones, Justin Herbert, and Matthew Stafford will probably all pass him by the end of games this week. Maye is second in completion percentage, but Stafford could pass him there this week, too.
He’s second in touchdowns, too, but Herbert, Aaron Rodgers, Bo Nix, Dak Prescott, Sam Darnold, and Tua Tagovailoa (and others) could tie or pass him on Sunday/Monday. His five interceptions is a pretty low total, but it’s not leading the NFL. He’s also fifth in passer rating, and Jalen Hurts could usurp him this week. He’s fourth in QBR, although Lamar Jackson is creeping up behind him.
Not always about the key stats
Those are all really strong numbers, but they don’t paint the picture that Maye is the MVP. The numbers argument probably goes to Matthew Stafford, but Maye doesn’t have Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, and Davante Adams, nor does he have Sean McVay calling plays for him. Sometimes, a player’s supporting cast matters.
It’s why 2023 Brock Purdy never really had a shot at the award because, while he was a finalist, he had an Avengers-level threat to defense on his offense in the form of Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle. Maye doesn’t have remotely the sort of help some of the other MVP candidates have, and he’s got the narrative buff, too. No one expected year two Drake Maye to be this good.
He showed flashes but was inconsistent in his rookie season. He’s been nearly flawless in year two without much help from coaching or weapons, and that’s why he remains a sturdy MVP candidate. Will he win it? Maybe, but there’s still plenty of season left. He’ll need to do a better job in the box score against lowly opponents like last night’s, the New York Jets. 282 yards and a touchdown is strong, and he was quite good, but in order to buff up that MVP argument, he needs more scores and maybe more yards.
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