Drake Maye would be honored to be a Patriots captain, as Mike Vrabel keeps pushing for more leadership

CBS News

10 hours ago

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has a lot on his shoulders heading into his second NFL season. He's the starting quarterback for a team looking to form a new identity and get back to relevancy after back-to-back four-win seasons.
The expectations are high for Maye to be the dynamic playmaker he's shown flashes of becoming, whether it's by way of deep bombs down field or scrambles that move the chains (or put up points) for New England. If the Patriots want to have a legitimate chance to contend for a playoff spot, Maye is going to have to make a huge Year 2 jump at the most important position on the field.
But for Maye, being the best Patriot he can be goes well beyond just making smart decisions when the ball is in his hands. Quarterbacks are expected to lead the team on the field and off, and he's hoping to get the opportunity to lead as a team captain.
Maye was a captain at the University of North Carolina, and would love to be voted a team captain by his Patriots teammates this summer.
"I think it's a great honor," Maye responded when asked about a potential captaincy after Wednesday's joint practice with the Vikings. "I think it's something that you don't take lightly around here, especially with those Patriot teams in the past, with the captains they had. It's an aspiration to be a captain, but there's a lot of guys on this team that deserve that and have played a long time in this league."
With all the responsibilities they carry, starting quarterbacks are almost always named a team captain in the NFL. Chances are Maye will end up with a "C" on his jersey ahead of the season.
But that won't stop head coach Mike Vrabel from continuing to push the soon-to-be-23-year-old Maye to up his leadership in every way possible.
The new Patriots head coach isn't taking it easy on his franchise quarterback this summer. Vrabel is pleased with what he's seen from Maye from a leadership standpoint, but he believes there is another level to unlock for the budding star.
"It's not that it's lacking," Vrabel said ahead of Wednesday's practice in Minnesota. "I just... I always want more. I think I have to as a coach. I think that we always want to try to take a player and we want to meet them where they're at and then be able to improve on that. So, there's no finished products no matter what."
Vrabel said a great way for a player to illustrate leadership is how they bounces back after making a mistake or a bad play on the field.
"We always can continue to work on things, focus on our reaction, our response to things and how, as a quarterback or any player, you want it to be perfect," said Vrabel. "It's never going to be perfect, and you can sit there and paralyze yourself sometimes by mistakes. We need to focus on our responses to those mistakes that are so critical.
"There are so many snaps in the football game that, there are certain things that can go up and down, and performance is one of them. Our attitude and our effort is something that can't," added Vrabel.
Through the ups and downs of his rookie season, Maye did a good job at remaining calm and collected. But there were times when he felt he could have stepped up with his leadership. He intends to be a lot more vocal, in addition to leading by example in 2025.
When asked about Vrabel pushing him to be more of a leader, Maye said he's happy to be getting such coaching.
"I think I want that. I want somebody to push me to do more for the team, have more of an impact with the guys around me," said Maye. "I feel like if I have that, and if I feel like I'm not showing it myself, then I need somebody to push me along."
Maye said he will have plenty of help in the leadership department in New England, and mentioned the likes of tight end Hunter Henry, receiver Stefon Diggs, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson, along with veteran offensive linemen Morgan Moses, Michael Onwenu, and Garrett Bradbury.
Patriots 2025 team captains will be announced shortly before the regular season kicks off.