It was learned ahead of the 2025 NFL season that New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels were having starting quarterback Drake Maye review game film of all-time great Tom Brady playing in McDaniels’ offense.
Maye then guided the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance, and he finished second in 2025 regular-season MVP Award voting behind Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams. One would think that Maye’s study of Brady’s performances would now be finished, but Patriots quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant shared on Wednesday why that isn’t the case.
Patriots want Drake Maye to accumulate more of Tom Brady’s tools
“We’re watching a lot of Brady film nowadays and just seeing things he would get to (calling the play) and the reasons why,” Grant explained, per Karen Guregian of MassLive. “It’s very neat when Josh speaks about something and pulls out a clip from 2008 versus Rex Ryan’s defense, and is trying to show how it applied then, and how we can apply it now, and things we can take advantage now. A lot of the tools have been here, but [their] application may not have shown up last year, so we’re just trying to refresh Drake’s memory on when to use it, or just educate him on why and when he shouldn’t.”
Of course, Brady developed a reputation for being one of the most prepared and most cerebral quarterbacks in NFL history as he earned seven career Super Bowl rings. While some thought Maye and not Stafford deserved to be named league MVP in February, it’s not a stretch to suggest that the 23-year-old remains a work in progress.
Pro Football Reference stats show that Maye ended the 2025 regular season leading the league among qualified players with a 77.1 adjusted QBR and a 113.5 passer rating. Those are impressive stats, but the growth Grant and Co. want to see from Maye moving forward doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the signal-caller’s physical abilities.
Patriots want Drake Maye to always have the right answer to the test
“He’s arguably the greatest quarterback to play the game,” Grant said about what he wants Maye to take away from the latest Brady-related film sessions. “But, the thing that stands out to me is just the conviction in which (Brady) operated the system. It seemed as if anything the defense presented to him, he had the answer at the tip of his tongue. It didn’t seem like there was a lot of hesitation or confusion. He would call the play, break the huddle, see what the defense was presenting, and if it was something he liked, he’d put his foot on the gas and snap the ball. And if it was something he didn’t, he changed it and usually got to a good answer.”
Grant added that the Patriots want to “weaponize Drake’s mind” ahead of September. Maye could do more than just finish first in MVP voting in February 2027 if his coaches are successful in achieving such a goal over the next few months.
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