Patriots' Drake Maye Lands Upsetting Outlook

The New England Patriots have made a concerted effort to make life easier for quarterback Drake Maye this offseason, surrounding him with some new weapons and also providing him with some (hopefully) better protection up front.

The most significant addition the Patriots made (as far as being high-profile, anyway) was signing wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was one of the best pass-catchers in football just a couple of years ago.

Of course, Diggs comes with a major caveat, as he is recovering from a torn ACL. Couple that with the fact that he is 31 years old, and there is reason for trepidation.

Not only that, but Maye is entering his second NFL season, and we already know that young quarterbacks are historically prone to sophomore slumps, especially when so much change is occurring around them.

Count Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports among those who isn't so sure that the Maye-Diggs pairing will be a smashing success, as he ranked the tandem 12th out of 15 new quarterback-wide receiver duos heading into 2025.

"Maye is essentially in another rookie season as he's being tasked with learning a new offense after the Patriots cleaned out the prior regime, hired Mike Vrabel as coach, and Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator," Sullivan wrote. "That could result in some growing pains in Year 2 as he molds into the new system. As for Diggs, the 31-year-old has the reputation and résumé as one of the best receivers of his era. However, he is coming off a season-ending ACL injury he suffered in Week 8 of last season, which brings questions about his ability to return to form. There's also the off-the-field questions that have recently sprouted up for the wideout, who is on his third team in as many seasons."

All of Sullivan's concerns are valid, even if most New England fans may not want to admit it. There is plenty of buzz in Foxborough right now, so much so that many are predicting the Pats to contend for a playoff spot next season. But that may be a bit too ambitious given all of the questions May and Co. are facing going into the fall.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!