The New England Patriots have officially signed their third overall and first-round draft pick Drake Maye to his rookie contract on Tuesday. New England got the former North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback to sign his four-year rookie deal ahead of mandatory minicamp.
Given where Maye was selected, his deal is for $36.6 million, per Spotrac. There is a $23.4 million signing bonus with that, as well as a fifth-year option for the team.
New England is going through a period of change. Jerod Mayo has replaced Bill Belichick as the head coach of the New England Patriots, with Belichick no longer making the decisions for the team for the first time in 24 years. On top of that, the Patriots are moving on from former first round quarterback Mac Jones.
Drake Maye, who is just 21 years old, is now expected to be the franchise quarterback for the Patriots. It’s a role that the team hasn’t filled properly since legendary quarterback Tom Brady left the team following the 2019 season.
For the last two seasons, Maye has been the starting quarterback for the North Carolina Tar Heels. During his college career, Maye played in a total of 30 games. He had a completion percentage of 64.9 percent and threw for 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns. he also rushed for 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns.
On the Patriots roster, Maye is joining Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe, and fellow rookie Joe Milton in the team’s quarterbacks room. Whether or not he starts immediately or if the team turns to a more experienced quarterback during his rookie season will be one of the intriguing early season storylines for the 2024 season.
Bill Belichick on Drake Maye comparing himself to Josh Allen
One quarterback who Maye has liked to compare his style of play to is Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. However, Bill Belichick seemed tentative to make the same comparison when breaking down the new Patriot as a player.
“I think that’s certainly a top need for them. It’s quarterback, tackle, and wide receiver. So, this is one of the top needs. Drake compares himself a lot to Josh Allen. He’s been doing that for quite a while. We’ll see about that,” Belichick said.
“I think there are some similarities in terms of size and athleticism, but Josh Allen’s a pretty special player now.”
It’s true that Allen is a much more accomplished player than Maye is. However, given the rookie’s excellent size and running ability to go with a big arm, it’s easy to see why he thinks his style of play compares well to Allen. Those happen to be the same strengths that the Buffalo signal-caller relies on.
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