by As one of the NFL’s most talented quarterbacks, Drake Maye still has a ways to go before he reaches his full potential.
However, some NFL analysts, including as Dan Orlovsky, have compared the Patriots signal caller to reigning MVP Josh Allen because of his powerful arm and ability to extend plays with his scrambling abilities.
Bill Simmons, the founder of The Ringer and a prominent Boston sports writer, has a different take on which NFL quarterback Maye reprimands him.
On Sunday’s broadcast of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons stated, “Don’t take this the wrong way.” Drake Maye is someone I like, therefore I don’t want to frighten you. He plays his game like a young Carson Wentz. Do you recall Carson Wentz’s good days? MVP contender. You witnessed the high points, but every game there would be a few plays that left you wondering, “Dude, what was that?” Don’t do that, please. [Maye’s] received a small amount of that.
Given the former Eagles quarterback’s erratic career in the NFL, Wentz is an intriguing analogy for Maye.
During his first few seasons in the NFL, Wentz, who was selected by Philadelphia with the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State, appeared to be among the league’s best young quarterbacks.
During the 2017 season, as a second-year professional, he was a strong contender for MVP after throwing for 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in 13 games before missing the remainder of the season because of an ACL tear. Later that season, the Eagles won the Super Bowl, and in Super Bowl LII, backup quarterback Nick Foles defeated Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Wentz never recovered his form as a franchise mainstay at quarterback with the Eagles, eventually being benched in favor of Jalen Hurts during the 2020 season, despite having a few strong seasons with Philadelphia in 2018 and 2019. Wentz has spent the last four seasons playing for four different clubs after being traded to the Colts prior to the 2021 campaign.
Although Simmons thinks Maye’s potential is still high despite the fact that he can be criticized for expensive errors, the Patriots are hopeful that he avoids a similar destiny in terms of injuries and regression.
Simmons said, “But I have a Drake Maye stat you’re going to love.” The success rate is a statistic that I find appealing. It only considers whether a guy’s drop back was a good or bad play for the offense. It’s merely helpful for determining how consistent this person is, but a 50-yard completion is treated the same as a 12-yard completion.
“He [ranked] fourth out of 31 rookie quarterbacks in terms of success rate last year if you look at every rookie quarterback over the last ten years,” Simmons continued.
Simmons thinks that Maye’s dual-threat skills make him a special player who might flourish in what should be a run-heavey offense in 2025, even as he seeks to improve his game and cut down on the mistakes that surfaced during Friday’s preseason game against Washington.
People probably don’t realize how quick he is. “They ran one play in the preseason where they did the classic video game play,” Simmons continued. He is a tremendous athlete, and he raced when they cleared away one side of the field and sent the receivers out. One day, could he be a miniature Josh Allen? I’m not sure. However, I believe they will be exploiting the legs.
WBZpic.twitter.com/nIDUe3MDvg @DrakeMaye2 takes it himself!
Since 2023, Conor Ryan has worked as a staff writer for Boston.com, covering the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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