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Drake Maye expected to start Patriots’ season finale against Bills
"He’s ready to go. He’ll be starting the game for sure."
Even with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft hanging in the balance, don’t expect to see Drake Maye on the sideline at the start of the Patriots’ season finale against the Bills.
Despite Jerod Mayo’s vague comments on Monday about New England’s QB depth chart vs. Buffalo — plus Maye being listed on the injury report both Wednesday and Thursday — offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt made things clear on Thursday about the team’s plans for Maye in Week 18.
“Drake looked good (Wednesday). He’s ready to go. He’ll be starting the game for sure,” Van Pelt said Thursday. “I’m excited to get another opportunity … more opportunities for him to grow.
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“This gives him an opportunity to go out and play a team we just played two weeks ago. Have a good understanding of what they did in our game and see how well we respond in this game.”
Of course, just because Maye starts doesn’t mean he’ll be the one to close out Sunday’s game, especially if New England runs the risk of losing out on that No. 1 pick by beating a Buffalo team likely set to play its backups for a majority — if not all — of Sunday’s matchup.
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While Van Pelt acknowledged that fellow rookie QB Joe Milton III took some snaps with the offense on Wednesday and could be in line for a backup role on Sunday, the OC did not signal that Milton will definitely step in for Maye at some point during the game.
“We’re playing the game to win the game for sure. We’ll see how it goes from that point. But yes, that’s the intention,” Van Pelt said when asked if the Patriots plan on playing Maye for the entire game.
Maye’s health will be worth monitoring entering Sunday afternoon, especially with the rookie tabbed as “questionable” on the injury report for the second day in a row due to a right-hand injury.
“He’s a competitor. He wants to play. He’s still developing, so he’ll be ready to go,” Mayo said of his QB on Wednesday, as transcribed by The Boston Globe’s Christopher Price. “Drake is our starting quarterback. If he’s healthy and ready to go, as we go through this week of practice, then he’ll play.”
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Speaking on Wednesday, Maye stressed that he hopes to play on Sunday and close out his promising rookie season on a high note.
“I’m preparing like I’m the starter. I think I’m going to be the starter, so I’m looking forward to being out there,” Maye said. “I think I’m ready to go out there and win, and compete, win a close game. I want to get out there and get experience in these close games that you can’t replicate in practice. You can’t get those reps anywhere else.”
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