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David Andrews credits Drake Maye as one of reasons why he wanted to keep playing
"Now these pass-catchers are seeing what Drake's doing, and you're going to see the Tom Brady type of effect."
David Andrews officially announced his retirement before the start of the 2025 season.
But the former Patriots center first attempted to work his way back out on the gridiron after suffering a season-ending injury in 2024.
One of the main reasons why Andrews wanted to return to a rebuilding Patriots team this fall? The chance to play alongside Drake Maye.
“The highest compliment I could give somebody … me wanting to play again this year, [Maye] had a lot to do with that,” Andrews said on a new episode of “The Quick Snap” with former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer, adding: “In reality, it was like, ‘I want to play with this [guy].’ … I believed in him.”
Ultimately, Andrews’ efforts to try and get back on the field fizzled out — with the Patriots releasing him in March before the two-time Super Bowl champion hung up his spikes in May.
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But with Maye continuing to ascend as one of the top young QBs in the NFL, Andrews believes that several other players across the league will share a similar sentiment about wanting to join New England — just in order to play alongside a top signal-caller in Maye.
“When you’re a lineman, you don’t get the ball. But I think what I’m trying to say is, hopefully now these pass-catchers are seeing what Drake’s doing, and you’re going to see the Tom Brady type of effect where people are like, ‘OK, I could go to so-and-so [NFL team] for this and come to the Patriots for this. I’m not just going to take that offer,'” Andrews said.
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“Now it’s like, ‘I’m coming to New England because this guy is the deal and he’s going to get me the ball, which is going to make me better, which is going to get me paid, and hopefully we have success — all those factors.'”
Maye turning New England into an attractive destination for free agents would be a welcome departure from recent years in the post-Brady era.
Even though New England flexed its cap space this past offseason and reeled in free agents like Milton Williams, Stefon Diggs, Harold Landry, and others, the Patriots have been burned in the past by coming up short in pursuit of top free agents.
The Patriots in particular have struggled to bring in top pass-catchers via free agency before signing Diggs — an established veteran, albeit one who was also coming off a torn ACL in October 2024.
Failed offseason targets for the Patriots over the last few years include No. 1 wideouts like Chris Godwin, Brandon Aiyuk, Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, and DK Metcalf.
But if Maye continues to play at a high level and the Patriots keep on stacking wins, what was once deemed a dysfunctional landing spot for NFL talent could become a premier destination every offseason.
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“The one thing that I’ve seen in 365 days is, he has made three years worth of progressions, in my opinion, from where he was when he took his first start just a year ago today, to where he is now,” Hoyer added of Maye.
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