New England loves a good generational sports argument. Ted Williams or David Ortiz? Bill Russell or Larry Bird? While it might be premature to stack Drake Maye against Tom Brady, it’s worth taking a look at Maye’s sparkling second season against Brady’s second year as a starter (2002).
It’s always important to put statistics in some sort of context. In this case, to note that the game has changed dramatically since 2002. (For example, Brady led the league in touchdown passes that season with 28. This season, Matthew Stafford’s 46 TD passes were tops in the NFL.)
It’s also worth noting that while 2002 marked Brady’s second season as a starter, he had the benefit of sitting for almost all of his rookie season of 2000. Brady made his 20th start in the NFL (including postseason) at the age of 25, in his third season (Week 3 in 2002).
Maye — who was born days before that 2002 season — made his 20th start in the NFL in Week 8 of the 2025 campaign. It was his second season in the league, and he was 23. The differences might seem negligible, but it makes a difference when comparing quarterbacks, particularly of different eras. The days of drafting a quarterback and having him sit behind a veteran were routine in the early days of the 21st century. Now, an accelerated learning process for many signal-callers is the norm.
Looking specifically at these numbers, it’s important to consider strength of schedule and week-to-week opponents. The first three games of the 2002 season, the Patriots’ offense was so powerful with Brady at the controls (they averaged 38 points on the way to a 3-0 start) that former New England receiver David Patten recalled a conversation with the young quarterback weeks into the season about the possibility of going undefeated. That obviously didn’t happen, as the league caught up to Brady and the Patriots. (Witness the precipitous drop in Brady’s numbers from Week 11 through Week 14, one that could coincide with a shoulder injury he sustained late in the year.) As for Maye, with the exception of a Week 14 loss to the Bills, his 2025 numbers were steady against one of the weakest schedules in the league.
This is a great go-to statistical model for those who would make an argument for Maye as MVP in 2025. His work on third and fourth downs and in big moments really shines. You have to wait for careers to play out, but when you compare Maye to Brady, you could make an argument that Maye was more vital to the success of the 2025 Patriots than Brady was in 2002. Brady had difference-makers and future Hall of Famers around him, players such as Ty Law. While only time will tell what sort of legacy the 2025 roster will have, it’s easy to say that Maye has been able to do more with less this season.
This is where Maye has really excelled, benefitting from having an emerging pass catcher such as Kayshon Boutte, who averaged 16.7 yards per reception this season. While Maye certainly appears to best the 2002 Brady here, it’s also important to remember that Brady’s deep-ball ability improved over the second half of his career, when legends such as Randy Moss were added to the roster. Does Maye have the capacity to continue to ascend? Perhaps, especially given the Patriots have the offseason salary-cap space needed to add at the wide receiver position.
Brady was in the nascent years of his career, but he still showed a knack for coming up big in two-minute situations in 2002. The Patriots won a pair of overtime games that season (against the Chiefs and Dolphins), and Brady led them to a wild road win over the Bears in which he threw two TD passes in the last three minutes of a 33-30 victory. Outside of road wins against the Bills and Ravens, Maye hasn’t been called upon to lead a late comeback this season.
Quarterbacks mature and develop at different rates, but it’s clear Maye is ahead of the curve in several important statistical measurements. It’s worth noting that all of the quarterbacks in this group took a sizable statistical leap from Year 2 to 3. We’ll see if Maye’s numbers might level off, or if he’s capable of raising the ceiling. It’s also important to keep your offense healthy. Outside of running back Antonio Gibson, the Patriots didn’t suffer any major injuries to their offensive skill position players this season. You need to have an excellent quarterback, but a little luck also doesn’t hurt.
There were two distinct camps this season when it came to the MVP debate: Team Maye or Team Stafford. The numbers seemed to favor Maye, but many outside New England (including Brady) made an argument for Stafford taking the prize as something akin to a lifetime achievement award. Maye said at the end of the regular season that he has other thoughts on his mind, that it was an “honor” just to be in the conversation.
“I’ve told everybody who has said some things in the locker room, ‘It’s us. It’s not just me, it’s us in the locker room.’ It’s really a team deal, I think,” he said late last month. “They say ‘player,’ but I think wins help that. So obviously, there’s been some great seasons around the league from a lot of players, and it’s an honor, but also at the same time, we’ve got work to do.”
Copy edited by Robert Fedas. Photo illustration by John Hancock. Tom Brady photo by Jim Davis/Globe Staff, Drake Maye photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff.
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