New Falcons Coach was Secret to Drake Maye's Success According to Jerod Mayo

The Atlanta Falcons hired Alex Van Pelt to take over as their new quarterbacks coach, and the track record of development is clear. Jerod Mayo, who was his head coach in New England in 2024, had some high praise for his former coach’s work with Drake Maye in 2024.

Jerod Mayo: "There's no one in this organization that deserves more credit, as far as what Drake Maye has been able to do on the football field, than Alex Van Pelt" pic.twitter.com/QLWpwm1cyS
— Patriots Coverage on NBCS Boston (@NBCSPatriots) November 13, 2024

“He’s been huge [for Maye],” Mayo said. “There’s no one in this organization that deserves more credit, as far as what Drake has been able to do on the football field, than Alex Van Pelt. When we interviewed Alex, … one of the prerequisites or requirements was a guy who was level-headed, and a guy who believes in working together, and a guy who doesn’t get too high or too low. That’s Alex.”

The Patriots parted ways with Mayo after just a single season, leaving Van Pelt as a free agent.

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Van Pelt will join up with the new staff under Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta, but it will be his second stint with the former Cleveland Browns head coach. He served under Stefanski for four years as the Browns’ offensive coordinator (2020-23). However, Van Pelt was fired after a playoff loss to the Houston Texans.

The Cleveland offenses were relatively successful under Van Pelt, regularly finishing in the top half of the league in scoring despite quarterback issues. According to John Sabol of Fox 8 News in Cleveland, the decision to move on was not made by Stefanski.

“Kevin Stefanski never wanted to get rid of Van Pelt after the 2023 season. That was a decision was forced from the top. In the end, it backfired on the #Browns. Now Stefanski gets his guy back in Atlanta,” the sports anchor wrote on social media.

Van Pelt was reportedly terminated because ownership was reportedly frustrated with the progress of Deshaun Watson. The Browns paid three first-round picks, a 2023 third-rounder, and two fourth-round picks (2022, 2024), alongside a fully guaranteed 5-year, $230 million contract for the quarterback, but the results weren’t coming.

Watson struggled in 2022 and 2023, starting just 12 games and completing just 59.8% of his passes for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. The issues in the time since have shown that it probably had more to do with the quarterback than the coach.

Over the course of his career, Van Pelt has worked with several standout quarterbacks and offensive coaches. The list includes: Maye, Matthew Stafford, and Aaron Rodgers.

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“I can't tell you how excited I am to talk and to coach this roster, how talented some of these young players are,” Stefanski said. “I know this, as coaches, we can't wait to develop these players, and we can't wait to help these players become the best versions of themselves.”

Van Pelt will bring that experience to Atlanta, where he will look to help develop third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and help him take the next step in his career.