Kurt Warner excited for Drake Maye-Josh McDaniels partnership
Warner expressed confidence in both Maye and McDaniels.
Historically, the result of switching offensive coordinators between a quarterback’s first and second season in the NFL hasn’t always produced the best results. But in the case of Josh McDaniels returning to the Patriots to be Drake Maye’s offensive coordinator in 2025, ex-QB Kurt Warner doesn’t see an issue.
Warner, New England’s onetime opponent in Super Bowl XXXVI, sat down with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” for a recent interview. The Hall of Famer explained why he believes the change will work because of his confidence in the abilities of both McDaniels and Maye.
“I think it’s going to go really, really well, just knowing Josh, what he does, and what he brings to the table,” Warner said, per a transcription from Karen Garegian of MassLive.
While Warner acknowledged he was skeptical of Maye coming out of college and heading into his rookie season following being drafted third overall by the Patriots, the former Rams quarterback said he’s completely changed his tune.
“I thought he was unbelievable this year,” Warner said of Maye. “He played really, really well
“I saw him gut it out. He made a lot of plays with his feet when he had to. So, seeing all of that, and knowing how Josh plays, how he played with Tom Brady, I’m excited about this matchup,” he added. “Josh will do a great job of game-planning and getting ready, but I’m excited to see how this meshes because I was really, really impressed with how Drake did last year.”
Maye finished his rookie year with 15 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, completing 66.6 percent of his passes in 13 games (12 starts). While those were hardly stunning numbers in 2025, it was done under difficult circumstances amid constant offensive line struggles.
“When those opportunities were there, he was hitting his back foot and the ball was coming out,” Warner noted of Maye’s execution while facing unpredictable and occasionally unworkable circumstances. “That, to me, is impressive because it lets me know you’re seeing it, you’re seeing what’s going on, and if everything around you isn’t perfect, you’re going to the right place with the football.
“And then you add the physical part to it, then now you really get excited … to watch him play the way that he did, and do some of those things, it just, to me says, okay, bright future here if he can continue to build of what I saw early in his career,” Warner concluded.
McDaniels is heading back to New England as offensive coordinator under the newly-installed Mike Vrabel coaching staff. As for the rest of the offense, the Patriots are expected to be “very busy” in the free agency and potentially the trade market in the coming months in the hope of bolstering both the offensive line as well as the wide receiving talent.
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