Vrabel: Patriots welcome Maye's development, 'want him to lead'

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is excited about Drake Maye's potential but remains focused on the work ahead in the young quarterback's development.

"He's exciting, talented, ready to learn, and ready to continue to develop," Vrabel told WBZ-TV's Steve Burton. "He's athletic and mobile, has the ability to make throws to all parts of the field with arm talent, but every year is a new process.

"There will be some new terminology and some carryover from what he's had. I know that he's ready to learn and is excited. We welcome that and want him to lead our football team."

Maye will have a Patriots stalwart helping him along that journey, as Vrabel added Josh McDaniels to his staff earlier this week for his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator.

McDaniels has won six Super Bowls with the Patriots as an assistant coach, and Vrabel spoke highly of his ability to lead New England's offense once again.

"When you talk about Josh, I think schematically and the way he teaches the quarterback, the versatility of the offense, and the base foundation of the offense ... it has evolved, and there is a lot more to it than that," Vrabel said.

He added, "I know from our conversations that he's worked hard and studied, visited and met with people, and we're going to continue to add things that we feel helps our players and give us an advantage to score touchdowns and take care of the football."

New England's offense struggled during Maye's 2024 rookie campaign, finishing 30th in scoring and 31st in total yards.

Vrabel was hired to replace Jerod Mayo after the latter was fired following one year at the helm. Vrabel spent eight seasons as a player with New England from 2001-08 and is a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame.