Could Drake Maye be even better than he was a season ago, a season that saw him finish second in the MVP voting and play a starring role in resurrecting a franchise that, quite frankly, had cratered?
If the spring is any indication, the answer is yes. For the first time in his collegiate and professional career, Maye is in the same offense with the same playcaller. The comfort and confidence are readily apparent to anyone who watched him at the same point in the calendar a year ago.
“I think it's just naturally night and day from last year this time,” Maye told us earlier this week. “I was trying to get things right, trying to get guys knowing where I was making calls and getting guys lined up. Now we're just taking the next steps. That's the best thing about this time. You get to work on those things and also work on executing.”
The spring is the teaching part of the program, but after establishing himself to the degree Maye did a season ago, a more aggressive approach was taken during OTAs. Josh McDaniels, quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, and, of course, head coach Mike Vrabel challenged the 23-year-old (he turns 24 at the end of August) to take even more control of the offense.
One way to do that is to have Maye run tempo, but then not give him a play to run. That puts all the responsibility on the third-year pro. He needs to decipher what the defense is showing him in that short period of time and make a play call that capitalizes on the perceived weakness.
“It's trying to be a playcaller,” Maye revealed. “It's tough in this environment when they’ve got 18 seconds on the clock in practice and I'm trying to do a hard count and trying to get us in a play that we like. I think it's awesome to challenge me and to push my limits of knowing the offense, knowing what play looks good against what the defense has up.”
“Get us in the best play,” Vrabel added. “Not that we are going to be perfect, but being able to use every resource that we have to get us into the right play and be able to give us an option to have a positive play. Whether they are pressuring or they are in a look that is not advantageous to the play, we do not want to be tentative, so there is a fine line of that. But I think expanding some of that into the second year of the system has been good to see here in the spring.”
A big part of taking the next step offensively will be limiting negative plays. It’s been something Maye and McDaniels have been harping on, dating back to last season. If you look at some of the offensive struggles in the postseason, you notice the correlation between unsuccessful drives and how a negative play, especially on early downs, impacts overall productivity.
“Nothing worse for an offense than negative plays,” McDaniels said. “They put you in bad situations, and we saw that last year. When that happened to us, it’s hard to overcome those things. I don’t care who you are. We’re trying to do what we can at each position, not just at quarterback, but certainly, he has a say in all of those.
“And so I think his comfort level, I think his maturity and understanding of how bad those things are for the offense, I think that’s taken a huge step forward. He understands it, he gets it, and so through that, hopefully we’ll be much improved in that area when we get to the regular season.”
I looked at all of Maye’s turnovers in the postseason. The large majority were in unfavorable down and distance situations:
Chargers
2nd & 11: Interception
2nd & 10: Fumble
3rd & 6: Fumble
Texans
2nd & 5: Fumble
4th & 11: Interception (end of half)
3rd & 6: Fumble
Seahawks
3rd & 6: Fumble
2nd & 3: Interception
1st & 10: Interception (TD)
Being ahead of the sticks doesn’t mean turnovers are impossible - as you see above. But largely, the mistakes come when Maye found himself chasing a bigger play after being in disadvantageous spots. He is learning - and being reminded - that sometimes the right thing to do is live for the next series.
“I think one thing is just making the right decision in the first few seconds I have the ball in my hand,” Maye said. “Making the right decision, knowing sometimes incompletions are the best plays, not trying to hold the ball too long and get out of the habit of really trying to extend plays just because I feel like I haven't extended a play in a while.”
Maye will almost certainly retain that playmaker/gunslinger element to his game. It’s part of what makes him special. But the more he plays - and learns - the more likely he is to turn those YOLO plays into educated gambles, limiting the potential risk and increasing the odds. The Patriots are giving him the tools to win at the snap. Now it’s up to Maye to make those tools work for him.
PATS GOT LUCKY?
In 2024, the Patriots desperately wanted to trade for Brandon Aiyuk and were willing to pay him a top-of-the-market contract. But Aiyuk wanted nothing to do with the Pats. In the moment, that rejection was just another example of how far the organization had fallen.
Today? Call it a blessing in disguise.
Aiyuk remains in a standoff with the 49ers and has recently taken to social media with a couple of head-scratching rants against the team that still owns his rights. Some of the commentary is eerily reminiscent of Antonio Brown, who essentially drove his Hall of Fame career into a ditch. Is Aiyuk headed down that same path? It sure has the makings of it.
What’s even more concerning is that Aiyuk is the one who could put this nonsense to an end by showing up. Plain and simple. That would force the 49ers' hand, either requiring them to release the player or trade him (he is reportedly good friends with Jayden Daniels). GM John Lynch is already on record as saying “safe to say (Aiyuk) has played his last snap with the Niners.”
The relationship had shown plenty of cracks prior to that. In fact, San Francisco placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list back in December after he stopped showing up for rehab on his surgically repaired knee. While Aiyuk is on the list, the team doesn’t have to pay him, and they already voided his 2026 guarantees in July (Aiyuk told the NFLPA he wouldn’t file a grievance). He will also be on the hook for $50K for every day he misses of training camp. And yet, the 28-year-old is ranting and raving, saying in part, “They mad ’cause they stupid, they dumb. They mad that they paid me $50 million in eight months. And they voided my guarantees for 2027. And I’m about to be on a new team in 2027.”
Ummm, who wants to tell him it’s 2026, not 2027? Hopefully, Aiyuk can find a better headspace, figure this out and continue his career. But San Francisco isn’t about to do him any favors, and no doubt, these verbal volleys are far more hindrance than help.
HAPPY TRAILS
There hasn’t been much of a reason to pump the Browns' tires over the last decade or so. It’s not that they’ve been miserable - Cleveland has been to the playoffs twice over that period (2020 and 2023) - but much like the Jets, they always find their way back to the bottom.
But they did get something really right in 2014. That’s when they drafted guard Joel Bitonio in the second round. All he did during his dozen seasons with the Browns was make seven Pro Bowls and earn five All-Pro honors. That should eventually earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame (although these days, you can never tell).
After a dozen seasons, Bitonio called it a career earlier this week. He blocked for 22 different starting quarterbacks during that time, including draft classmate Johnny Manziel.
“I was drafted the same year as Johnny Manziel,” he said at his retirement press conference. “And we actually roomed together. I learned some things NOT to do from him.”
After team legend Joe Thomas blew out his triceps in 2017, Bitonio had 14 different left tackles play alongside him. Heck, he even did it himself on a few occasions. But though he could have forced his way out or fled via free agency, Bitonio stayed the course in Cleveland, saying he couldn’t envision wearing any other uniform.
"I learned to appreciate everyone who helped me on this amazing journey," Bitonio said. "I learned what an honor and privilege it is to be able to wear that orange helmet and what this team means to the fans. I learned how hard it is to say goodbye. I had a good idea back in January that this was the end for me, but this place is so special that it was hard to truly say goodbye. I'm so glad I got to learn and be a Cleveland Brown my entire career."
A class act, and a hell of a football player.
MAYFIELD ON THE MOVE?
'Tis the time of the NFL calendar where contracts - signed, extended, or withheld - grab even more headlines than normal. We are living that here in New England with Christian Gonzalez, and that will be a topic of conversation until a deal is done. (Or ... if it gets done?)
Tampa Bay finds itself in a similar situation, only in its case, it's the quarterback who is desiring a new deal. And to hear him talk, that’s not going well.
"The contract stuff, it’s happening, it’s starting - talks and whatnot. But, not anywhere close to what we were thinking,” Baker Mayfield said.
Within days, the Tampa Bay Times reported Mayfield and his representatives had not responded to the team’s initial proposal. Ruh-roh (as Scooby Doo would say).
“Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done,” added Mayfield. “But, they know my deadline - as soon as training camp starts, we’re not doing [any more] contract stuff. It’s all ball. So, it’s not up to me when that gets done by. So, hopefully before that. If not, we’re still going to have a good year.”
Mayfield came to Tampa in 2023 as the bridge quarterback. He went on to throw for over 4,000 yards and 28 TDs, earning a three-year, $100 million contract. He now enters the final year of that deal, having not missed a game and after leading the Bucs to the playoffs in both ‘23 and ‘24. Yes, Tampa missed out on the playoffs a season ago, but it was ravaged by injuries and uninspired coaching (see Bowles, Todd). During the offseason, they watched franchise legends Lavonte David (retirement) and Mike Evans (free agency/SF) leave, making Mayfield the unquestioned face of the franchise. You’d think the Bucs would want a longer-term commitment, but also have to decide if the 31-year-old is worth, say, a top-seven or eight salary.
"They know who I am," Mayfield said. "They know it doesn't matter what the contract is. It's not going to change my work ethic, the leadership aspect of it, what I try to bring with guys, trying to elevate everybody.
“You worry about giving somebody that much money, if it's going to change their attitude, how they show up in the building. With me, that's not the case. They gave me a chance at a point in my career when I really needed it, helped me out, but I think I did the same as well. It's time to get something done long-term, and I would love to be here long-term."
While it’s impossible to predict what QBs will be free agents next offseason, players entering the last year of their contracts include Kyler Murray, Mac Jones, Tua Tagovailoa, Deshaun Watson, Davis Mills and Geno Smith. Could one of those guys be the Bucs’ next bridge QB to surprise? That’s a question for GM Jason Licht, who’s had good luck choosing veteran signal callers of late (Tom Brady). Either way, something to keep an eye on this summer.
NEWS NUGGETS
- Former Holy Cross standout Jalen Coker just got a well-deserved three-year extension for $35 million from Carolina, with incentives that could push the deal to $41 mil. A 2024 UDFA, Coker has outperformed more heralded players, like 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette, during his short time with the Panthers. The last time we saw him, Coker had nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown in a tight playoff loss to the Rams.
- Coveted free agent wide receiver Alec Pierce, who decided to re-up with Indianapolis for four years and $114 million, had ankle surgery in March and may not be fully recovered in time for training camp. Pierce attempted to avoid being cut on, but alternative treatments didn’t work. Now, he has to strike the right balance between rehab and rest.
"I think obviously we want the [return] to be as early as possible," he said. "But you've kind of got to let your body guide yourself and see how you feel. Because what I'm learning with the rehab is the more you overdo it, the more sore you get. It kind of can sometimes be counterproductive."
- The Falcons swapped late-round picks to acquire tackle Wanya Morris from the Chiefs. A 2023 third-round pick, Morris worked his way into KC’s lineup a year later, getting 11 starts at left tackle. But he fell out of favor, and the Falcons eagerly pounced. Atlanta lost starting right tackle Kaleb McGary, who retired; swing tackle Storm Norton, who has been placed on season-ending PUP; and another former Chief, the oft-penalized Jawaan Taylor, who has been out the entirety of the spring for unknown reasons.
- Sean Payton got himself a five-year contract with the Broncos. Denver convinced Payton to come out of retirement in 2023, and he had the team hosting the AFC Championship this past season. This deal replaces his old one, which had two years remaining. He and GM George Paton remain on the same timeline, with both men’s deals set to expire after the 2030 season.
“I haven't given any thought to the endgame,” Payton said. “I've got a lot of juice left and enjoy what we're doing.''
The Broncos are 32-19 during his tenure.