Patriots

Drake Maye can have a brand new offensive coordinator in Foxborough for his second NFL season.

The release of Jerod Mayo has led to an entire overhaul of the coach of New England, with Josh McDaniel being introduced because the third term as an offensive coordinator of the patriots for his third term.

Although Maye has made some major progress in its development under OC Alex van Pelt, McDaniel's resume speaks for himself.

While McDaniels' two stints as head coach within the NFL left quite a bit to wish, he achieved every success in New England and won six Super Bowl titles as a member of Bill Belichick's employees.

The criminal offense that McDaniels implemented in Foxborough in Tom Brady's days in Tom Brady's days is a substantial departure from the west coast of Van Pelt mapped for Maye in 2024.

But even with these expected changes to the offensive in New England in 2025, said Maye, Maye said NBC Sports Bostons Phil Perry at Super Bowl Lix That he is happy to work with McDaniels that go forward.

“I think I'm a bright child. I don't think it will be too difficult, ”said Maye Perry in New Orleans. “But it's a brand new crime. You should do it. You don't provide you with an excessive amount of time during this time to work with trainers. You should have free time (as a result of the NFL collective agreement).

“Fortunately, they’ve the whole library of years ago when the most important who ever did it in the identical crime. What a man to see film, and coach McDaniels was among the finest within the shop as a coordinator. I sit up for leading the offensive that Tom Brady did. “

Maye added that he was already familiar with the older offensive schemes of the patriots during the Brady era and found that he saw a film by Brady during his rookie season with New England.

“I saw myself last season and saw:” Hey, what did Tom Brady look like in 7-against-7? “Or:” What did Tom Brady look like in Quarterback individual (drills)? “Said Maye. So you’re through the database and pull Tom up.

“What a cool thing to have a movie on Tom. So I discovered (film by) that he threw Rob Gronkowski in 7-in-7. It's pretty cool. “

Although McDaniels achieved every success in Foxborough, he also showed the ability to approve the offensive of the patriots to every QB that made snapshots with New England.

During the only season of Cam Newton as the team of the team in 2020, McDaniels selected a lot of RPO (run pass options) to add the mobile signal caller-later in 2021, he added many Crossser and Short Yardage throws Add Jones for Mac.

With Maye, McDaniels will probably reorganize its plans to use the best of QB's talents in the second year-especially when it comes to adding more designed runs to the patriots's game book.

“Over the years, there was a certain growth from the offensive, and (McDaniels) has mixed this with a few of the recent trends,” Mike Vrabel told Patriots.com about the influence of McDaniels, who was moving forward. “But the foundation will remain the same. I look forward to adding some of these new trends. … “We wish to do things that you might not have done with the previous quarterbacks.”

Patriots

The opportunity to work with a young, talented quarterback was one in all the aspects that drew Mike Vrabel back to New England.

Vrable interviewed for other head coaching jobs, but he selected the Patriots. He had great success as a player in New England, so it was a homecoming of sorts. He is accustomed to the ownership group. And now he has the chance to assist Drake Maye fully exploit its potential.

The recent Patriots coach was asked Monday how he plans to develop Maye.

“Put great people around you,” Vrabel said. “We have to. I would say my involvement will be about game management and situational awareness as well as where we are on the football field and trying to develop him as a leader of the offense.”

“When a quarterback calls the play, you want to say that everyone is going to believe he's going to score a touchdown…Drake is going to be his own person, but I'm going to give him some things that I feel like are necessary with that.” we are able to win football games. “

Improving the offensive line will likely be a top priority for New England this offseason. Maye and Jacoby Brissett combined for 52 sacks last season.

“I think with player acquisition, I think you look at what's available in free agency and what you can do – feel like you can sign and then you see what you do with it,” said Vrable. “Obviously you have a look at the teams which have the power to guard the quarterback and dictate the flow of the sport offensively and make certain we're solid and powerful up front, whether it's through free agency or the draft, that's something that’s decisive.”

“The D-linemen are getting better every year,” he added. “They are becoming more and more disruptive. They become bigger and more powerful. So when they try to disrupt our quarterback, we have to have some things that compensate for that.”

Maye will also need weapons to throw at. None of the Patriots' receivers totaled more than 700 yards last season. Hunter Henry was a reliable target at tight end. DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte have shown potential. But overall, the unit wasn't very productive last season.

A change in personnel will only be part of the solution, said Vrabel. He said he plans to use an aggressive but not reckless style.

“Of course, personnel is the first route,” he said. “And then scheme and elegance and tempo and cadence and all those things, if our players can handle it, then we'll switch, we'll move, we'll play with different cadence, we'll go on the ball and.”Try , doing all the things that cause conflict.

“But it won’t be at the expense of the players. If the players can only handle so much, then we will do that and get really good at it.”

Offensive coordinators play a leading role in shaping a football team's offensive plan and style. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Josh McDaniels could be a top candidate to join Vrabel's staff. The athlete McDaniels also listed the top candidates along with Nick Caley, Josh McCown, Tim Kelly, Charles London and Tommy Rees. The Patriots have yet to say whether Alex Van Pelt will stay or not.

McDaniels won six Super Bowls as an assistant under Bill Belichick and left the Patriots twice to seek head coaching opportunities elsewhere.

Caley, a former Patriots tight ends coach who works for the Rams in the same capacity, gave an interview for the opening last year.

McCown, a former NFL quarterback and current Vikings quarterbacks coach, worked with Maye when Maye was in high school, and Maye said he was close friends with McCown's two sons.

Kelly and London worked with Vrabel in Tennessee. Kelly, now the Giants' tight ends coach, was the Titans' offensive coordinator in 2023. London was the passing game coordinator this season.

Vrabel said he looks for efficiency, versatility and creativity in his offense.

“We have to be a very efficient passing team,” Vrabel said. “When you look statistically at what wins in the National Football League, our ability to influence the other team's quarterback and provide efficient quarterbacking and passing plays a large part in our success.

“There's numerous ways to do that – protecting the center of the pocket and all of the things we'll discuss as we go forward,” he added. “But how we protect the football, how aggressive but not reckless we’re, how we understand where we’re in the sport and the situational awareness that I believe I developed over six years after which my senior yr in Cleveland.” `

Patriots

Be careful, Patriots fans.

No, don't worry – I'm not going to indicate you a recap of Jerod Mayo's most passive coaching decisions. I don't have the essential 2 hours and 45 minutes in the meanwhile Theand I'm assuming you don't either.

For this reason, the warning is: What follows is the sort of column that comes from what I prefer to call the bye-week hypotheticals genre.

It's the sort of “What if, would you rather imagine?” Some extent that folks like me and my fellow sportswriters prefer to nitpick in the course of the local NFL team's bye week when feeding the content machine must, even when there isn’t any game that ensures a win or a loss, and all of the pieces, details and conclusions that function a living for per week.

So, here's my obligatory and somewhat irresistible bye week hypothesis.

Don't say I didn't warn you, but I'll do my best to place the content into context:

Would you quite have Bill Belichick because the Patriots' head coach or Drake Maye as your quarterback at once?

As someone who didn't need to see Belichick go, even after a 4-13 record in 2023 and a series of mostly strange to questionable personnel decisions, the reply is straightforward.

It's Maye, without hesitation or perhaps a hint of a second thought.

Maybe most of you agree with this. I hope it’s a large majority.

Now Belichick is absolutely the best coach in NFL history, and you possibly can argue amongst yourselves about who is available in second.

With six Super Bowl victories as a head coach in an era designed to thwart would-be dynasties, and two more as a superstar assistant coach with Bill Parcells' Giants, his unique place on the rostrum is definite.

Yes, he had Tom Brady, the best quarterback of all time, similar to every other exceptional coach because the days of leather helmets has had exceptional players. If you need to argue that Belichick was successful only Because of Brady, I suggest you have a look at the bookend Super Bowl victories over the Rams 17 seasons apart – probably for the primary time, right? – after which devour every little thing NFL Films has done with him over time. (FYI: Skip the “Dynasty” doc on Apple TV+. Trust me, it won’t help.)

The Krafts' decision to fireplace Belichick after 24 seasons hurt, and the farce that it was a mutual farewell was borderline offensive. His unparalleled institutional knowledge of all things football, particularly his defensive expertise, will probably be sorely missed by the present Patriots.

I fully expect Belichick – who turns 73 in April – to be back in coaching next season and to achieve success again as he pursues Don Shula's all-time winning record. His various television appearances appear to reinvigorate him while also serving their true purpose: reminding potential employers that nobody knows the sport higher than this surprisingly funny guy who chats with the Manning brothers every Monday night.

But if the selection, as presented in our bye week hypothesis, is to have a then-legendary coach leading a poor Patriots squad he built, or to have a 22-year-old quarterback who made eight starts has on his roster Since your profession has all of the makings of a franchise cornerstone, the selection is straightforward.

You put the past aside. You sprint into the long run. You take the quarterback. You take Maye, undoubtedly.

Now I imagine a few of you habitual contrarians would say, “Why couldn't the Patriots do both – keep Belichick, sign Maye and go from there?”

A good query, and I believe the reply is pretty clear, even though it consists more of anecdotal evidence than any certainty:

I don't think Belichick would have drafted Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in April's NFL Draft.

Belichick, who was a standout on Pat McAfee's draft night program, each praised and criticized the North Carolina quarterback. But he didn't seem as confident in him as he was in, say, Michigan's JJ McCarthy, who went eleventh overall to the Vikings.

Some of Belichick's draft night comments about Maye:

• “He didn’t play much. He really doesn't have much experience. He will need some work reading defenses and coverages. He's pretty quick to pull out of the bag. He’s got to hang in there a little bit and find those receivers.”

• “Drake compares himself a lot [to] Josh Allen – we’ll see. There are some similarities in terms of size, but Josh Allen is a special player.”
• “This is a kid who can make all the throws, he just needs to be more consistent.”

I might say Belichick recognized Mayes' outstanding potential, but viewed him as a rookie who might need no less than a season as a backup player before seeing the sphere. That's not a nasty assessment in any respect, because it's a surprise to most of us that Maye has played at such a high level since taking up because the starter against the Texans in Week 6. His talent was obvious, his demeanor is remarkable given the issue of playing behind a patchwork offensive line, and he looks as if a natural leader, the sort who will let you know a mistake was his fault and you think that He thinks that way, though it obviously wasn't his fault in any respect.

Belichick won’t ever admit it, especially if Maye continues his rocket ride, but I bet he would have traded down – perhaps with the Giants at No. 6 – and picked up some extra draft capital while making a tackle at that spot McCarthy took it.

Therefore, we must view this Belichick-or-Maye hypothesis as a real either/or situation. Given that there isn’t any more vital position in skilled sports than quarterback, and that it often takes multiple tries (see: Mac Jones, Jacksonville) to seek out a reliable position at a young age, this doesn't actually present any difficulty.

The Patriots did rather a lot mistaken within the offseason, including how they handled the ultimate days of one of the best coach they are going to ever have. But they got crucial thing right: They present in Maye a quarterback able to improving the franchise from what it had achieved within the seasons before his arrival.

Patriots

However, each his head coach and his teammate said the interception at the top of the sport was a “mistake.”MiscommunicationPatriots quarterback Drake Maye countered.

The newcomer placed the blame for the crucial mistake on his own shoulders. Asked concerning the turnover on the Patriots' final drive after the 28-22 loss to the Rams, Maye made a case for his receiver in the sport, DeMario Douglas.

“Yeah, it was a two-high [safety] Look and pop [DeMario Douglas]“It’s in the middle and they’re pretty good up front in the rushing five,” Maye said the Rams' defensive approach. “I tried to kind of do it to them and beat them over the linebacker and Pop probably thought deeply, but at the end of the day I just had to be on the same page and I think Pop did the right thing.” The Matter, I feel, just must be discussed through further discussions.

“I keep coming back to doing more throughout the week, talking through different situations, hey, I can do this to you, rather than just letting it play out. That’s all,” the 22-year-old quarterback concluded.

It was a disappointing result for Maye and New England, not only by way of the , but additionally by way of the rookie's continued development. In general, Maye gave one other solid outing from a first-year player. He finished the sport 30 of 40 for 282 yards and two touchdowns.

However, he was also chargeable for two turnovers, including the interception at the top of the sport.

When Maye was asked to rate his performance on Sunday, he said he needed to prioritize patience within the passing game.

“Yeah, I think this week I just cared about being a passer,” he said. “I think you shouldn't go so early and just put the football away, be a scrambler, throw the ball downfield, and we have good players downfield that just make decisions and just make the last interception.”

Overall, he stays optimistic about his (and his team's) offensive development.

“But I think we’re getting better every week,” Maye said. “I'm proud of the guys at the top who fought and we were able to play pretty good football today. I think we just need to take advantage of a few things down there in the red zone.”

The Patriots finished with a season-high 382 total yards on offense on Sunday, although the defense allowed 402 total yards (the third time greater than 400 total yards were allowed in a game in the course of the 2024 season).

Patriots

As Drake Maye continues his rookie season with the Patriots, the 22-year-old has an inexpensive short-term goal.

“I have to protect the football. That’s the biggest thing,” Maye told reporters on Wednesday about what he needs to enhance. “I think there are times when [it’s] My decision making, whether it's keeping the ball secure in the pocket or knowing when the little timer in my head is going to go off, things like that. Other than that, the most important thing is just making the right play.”

Maye explained that he needed to balance his natural aggressiveness, noting, “Sometimes a punt isn't the worst thing here.”

“Knowing the situation and knowing what the best play is for this football team,” Maye added.

Maye has made 4 starts to this point in his first NFL season and had to go away considered one of those games (the win over the Jets on October 27) because of concussion protocol. He totaled 770 yards (65.6 percent completion rate) with six touchdown passes and 4 interceptions.

The 22-year-old has also shown a feel for plays on the bottom and has led his team in rushing on several occasions. He has rushed for 209 yards (including one touchdown), averaging 10 yards per carry.

“Obviously I’m a passer first,” Maye explained when asked about his hustle. “I want to be a passer in this league. You have to be a passer to be successful in this league. I'm trying to find it [receivers]and when [the defense] I drop seven and rush four, and there are rush lanes – and the Titans had a defensive mentality to sit back in the zone, and somehow everyone was looking at me – I was like, “Yeah, I'm going to make a play.”

His next challenge will be facing fellow rookie in No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears on Sunday (1 p.m.) at Soldier Field. Maye was asked about his relationship with Williams.

“As a freshman coming out as a quarterback, you spend a lot of time with these guys,” Maye said.

“Actually with Caleb, I've seen him since high school,” Maye added. “We went to the same camps, played Elite 11 together and visited a few colleges together. Sort of the whole thing of going through the process again. We kept up with each other in college. We were friends and I enjoyed watching him do his thing and now I have the chance to compete.”

Maye acknowledged the inevitable rivalry between players in the identical draft class and admitted Sunday's match had “that little something extra.”

“Any time you go against a rookie quarterback in the same class or a quarterback in your class in general, it’s a little extra. So I’m excited to go out there and get a chance to play against the Bears.”

Patriots

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You know things aren't going well when a head coach appears in front of a global audience and says his soccer team is soft.

That's exactly what Jerod Mayo said about his football team on Sunday after their 32-16 loss to the Jaguars, and based on a few of his players, he's exactly right.

But despite the fact that the Patriots were on a six-game losing streak and have lost their last two games by a mean of 18 points, an encouraging pattern emerged at one point in the sport.

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye is showing early signs of improving his unit by distributing the ball.

Maye has five touchdown passes, essentially the most ever by a Patriots quarterback in his first two starts. based on Patriots PR.

All five of his touchdown passes went to a different receiver.

Second-year receivers DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte had never caught a touchdown pass before fidgeting with Maye. They each have one now. Hunter Henry had been one in all Brissett's favorite targets, but after a pass from Maye, he crossed the tip zone for the primary time this season. KJ Osborn and JaMychal Hasty contributed to the general standings on Sunday.

And that's not even mentioning that Maye's mobility and decisiveness allow him to increase plays and save the offensive line every so often.

The Patriots' offense has been terrible for years and one player isn't enough to repair the issue. That's why the power to nurture others is such a crucial trait for Maye as he assumes the role of franchise quarterback. It's nothing recent for Maye either.

His highschool coach, Scott Chadwick, told a story in regards to the lengths Maye went to make certain his teammates were included during a tournament Video posted to the Patriots' X account.

“Extremely coachable. He listens. He wants to get better and is very smart. “Drake’s junior year we were very good,” Chadwick said. “We averaged 50 points a game this year and Drake came over at halftime and looked at the stats. My middle son was our stats guy, and I said something to him like, “What’s Drake doing?”

“He said, 'Dad, he doesn't look at his stats,'” Chadwick added. “He wants to see how many balls each player caught in the first half. And then he came to me and suggested plays where the guys who hadn't caught a lot of balls could get some balls. He was always focused on making sure everyone was happy.”

Making everyone completely satisfied is an unrealistic expectation. There are 53 players in a football squad and quite a lot of different egos and personalities.

But this struggling Patriots team could use as much help as possible, and Maye is wise to get as many individuals involved as possible. On Sunday, he accomplished passes to nine different receivers.

“He’s got that swag,” Douglas said earlier this week. “He came to the huddle and said 'let's go' and I said 'let's go', I'm ready with you.” I’d run through a wall for him. Team player. My boy Drake, we have now his back.”

Brian Thomas Jr. torched the Patriots' secondary

Jacksonville receiver Brian Thomas Jr. caught the Jaguars' only touchdown pass of the sport, a six-yard pass that left him wide open.

The coverage of his biggest catch of the day was significantly better. Christian Gonzalez was stride for stride with Thomas, but Trevor Lawrence put the 58-yard ball right where it needed to be and Thomas was capable of focus and produce it down.

He also scored a two-point conversion following Parker Washington's 96-yard punt return. No other Jaguar had greater than 35 receiving yards. It was just Thomas' day. He caught all five of his targets.

Identity crisis

For the second straight yr, Maye was the Patriots' leading rusher. He tied Rhamondre Stevenson for the team lead with 18 yards. The Patriots had 38 total rushing yards.

Earlier this season, Mayo said the Patriots weren't a flowery football team and that running the ball was a key a part of their offensive identity.

After a powerful start in Cincinnati within the opening game, the Patriots' running game has declined to the purpose of being virtually non-existent during the last two weeks. Since the loss to the Dolphins on October 6, no Patriots running back has had greater than 20 yards.

Patriots

The Texan became the primary team for the reason that 2021 Buffalo Bills to attain 40 points or more against the Patriots, and Jerod Mayo expressed frustration with the performance after the sport.

The Patriots committed nine penalties, including six in the primary half. That number is simply too high, Mayo said, and it's a part of the “same old story” about what the Patriots are doing incorrect week in and week out.

He also mentioned that the Patriots turned the ball over 4 times, in comparison with only one turnover for the Texans.

Mayo, who coached linebackers for several years with the Patriots before being promoted to go coach, was harshly critical of his defense.

“Defensively, I would say we just need to improve the fundamentals of tackling, our running pass,” Mayo said. “You have to improve. I told all these people, 'Today you should feel like crap.' You should feel like crap.' They take away those two long runs from us [allowed] two runs of 50 yards. You just don’t win football like that.”

The Patriots showed some encouraging things on offense, with rookie quarterback Drake Maye starting under center for the primary time, Mayo said, nevertheless it wasn't enough.

“I thought he showed a lot of poise,” Mayo said. “I thought he went out there and controlled the group, got the guys out of the group and made some more plays.”

“It’s definitely encouraging. From a team-wide perspective, we have let him down right now. It was his first game and I feel like I let him down. I'm sure all the coaches feel like we've let everyone down. We just have to get better.”

Houston averaged 6.9 yards per run on the bottom and gathered the identical variety of rushing yards as passing yards (192).

Running back Joe Mixon bounced off one in every of his own blockers and hit a scoring corner, while Jonathan Jones tried to throw off a block from Stefon Diggs for his only touchdown of the sport. Jones turned to pursue Mixon, however the running back had enough distance to run into the top zone.

Mixon also broke off a 59-yard run right up the center, slipped past a leaping Jahlani Tavai and raced down the sideline before being tripped by Jaylinn Hawkins.

Houston's Dameon Pierce missed three Patriots defenders on his 54-yard run within the fourth quarter. Anfernee Jennings lunged at him and missed. Jaquelin Roy gave Pierce a shove, however the running back managed to remain on his feet. Safety Kyle Dugger made an unlucky attempt at an arm tackle as Pierce sprinted past.

“Yes, it’s very disappointing,” Mayo said. “I would say that we have some ups and downs at the moment in terms of getting off to a quick start. We have to start fast, whether we’re on defense or attack, and we just didn’t do that today.”

“I thought they had settled down. But again, it comes down to every single play being important, and you can stop them, stop them, stop them, and then all of a sudden it's a 50-yard run. We can’t live in this world.”

The Patriots fell behind 14-0 in the primary quarter and the Texans led the remaining of the best way. Maye reduced the deficit to seven just before halftime, however the game spiraled uncontrolled within the second half.

“Guys just have to take responsibility,” defensive end Godchaux said of the mistakes, in keeping with ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “Even if you think the game is over in, say, the third quarter, it's really just about being proud. It doesn't look like there was any pride out there. I just don't know how to win, that's what matters. Just frustrating, man.”

Texas quarterback CJ Stroud didn't miss a moment without top goal Nico Collins, who missed the sport after being placed on injured reserve.

Stroud accomplished 20-for-31 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns against one interception. Stefon Diggs led the Texans with 6 catches on 7 targets for 77 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s a great receiver. He’s been doing this for a long time,” cornerback Christian Gonzalez said. “He ran a good route for the touchdown. Such is the life of a corner. You’re going to get beat, so congratulations to him, he ran a great route and CJ did it to him and the other play just trusted my technique and went out and did that.”

Cornerback Marcus Jones had the one takeaway for the Patriots, an interception by Stroud that got here after a pass tipped by Marte Mapu.

“Even though the game didn’t go the way we wanted it to, there were some great things that happened in the game that needed to be implemented on a regular basis,” Jones said. “The margin for error within the National Football League may be very small and we have now to ensure we come back. Anything we haven't mastered, we’d like to practice and ensure we get it right for next week.”

Patriots

Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had his weekly appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday – touching on quite a few topics, including Drake Mayes' preseason, the Patriots' recent free agency woes, and more.

Here are some highlights from Belichick's recent ESPN appearance.

Belichick doesn't care about Drake Mayes' preseason play

Count Belichick as the newest in an extended line of NFL coaches and former players to supply their opinions on the continued quarterback competition between Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett in New England.

And while others like Devin McCourty and Dan Orlovsky tended to give attention to Maye's talent (or lack thereof) because the principal reason why New England shouldn't let its rookie start in Week 1, Belichick as a substitute emphasized that preseason performance shouldn't really play that big a task within the Patriots' decision on who starts on Sept. 8 against the Bengals.

“First of all, I don't think you really know how anyone is going to play in the preseason, especially at the quarterback position,” Belichick said. “Looking at it from the other side of the ball, the strategies are generally so simple. Most of the time, it's very simple strategies. You try to evaluate your players. You try to get them to play the good fundamentals that they know how to do. You don't hide anything. You just want the defensive players to be ready to react quickly and make plays. …

“I feel if you happen to come out of the preseason and say, 'This guy is playing very well, that guy is playing very well,' I wouldn't put loads of emphasis on that. I might put more emphasis on what they do in practice after which let's see what happens in the primary three or 4 games of the regular season when opponents goal certain players based on what they think they’ll and might't do to them after which let's see how they play.”

Jerod Mayo himself noted on Monday that Maye has “outperformed” Brissett in the Patriots' three preseason games. But even if the stats are in Maye's favor, New England may rely more on Brissett's experience – and the need to keep Maye away from a porous O-line – as major factors in going with the veteran QB in Week 1.

“I don’t think you actually understand how someone will play within the preseason, especially on the quarterback position…

Most of those games are quite simple and I put more emphasis on what the players do in training” ~ Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/U6z8eZN8Wu

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) 26 August 2024

“This is ‘Taxachusetts’”

The Patriots have struggled to lure top free agents to Foxborough in recent times as New England did not land offseason targets like DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley.

Admittedly, it's so much harder to persuade players to sign with New England when Gillette Stadium doesn't have already got personnel like Tom Brady or Belichick.

However, Belichick also said Monday that Massachusetts' state income tax also poses a barrier to New England's inability to outbid other NFL teams – especially in states without an income tax like Florida.

“This is Taxachusetts,” Belichick said. “Virtually every player, even the practice squad, even the minimum-qualified players, are pretty close to $1 million. Once you hit the $1 million mark, you start paying more taxes in Massachusetts.”

“It's just another thing you have to deal with when negotiating up there. It's not like Tennessee or Florida or Nevada. Some of those teams don't collect state income tax. That hits you pretty hard with the agents.”

While Massachusetts tax rates might make it harder to sell the Patriots in comparison with other NFL franchises, the lackluster performance on the sector over the past few years can also be making itself felt in Foxborough because it heads into several quiet offseasons – especially with Brandon Aiyuk reportedly turning down an enormous contract offer from the Patriots.

Belichick confused by Falcons' approach to Judon

It was no big surprise that Matthew Judon was ultimately traded from the Patriots to Atlanta despite the continued contract crisis.

But after the Falcons gave up a third-round pick to lure the star pass rusher from New England, they surprised many by not terminating Judon's current contract but as a substitute granting him a brand new contract for the long run.

“They (Falcons) don’t know anything about me as a football player or as a person,” Judon said Marc Raimond of ESPNi to play in the ultimate yr of his current contract in 2024. “You know my resume so far. I can't really demand or ask for something that I haven't worked for. I'm going to work for it.”

Atlanta's interesting approach to Judon also confused Belichick, who signed Judon to a four-year deal in New England within the 2021 offseason.

“I'm pretty surprised Atlanta didn't extend Judon's contract,” Belichick said. “I think he's pretty undervalued for his contract given how it was designed there.”

“It was a pretty complicated situation. But generally in situations like that, I've tried not to extend the player's contract – which of course you can do and sometimes you do – but I think Judon is 31, 32 or something. Extending that is a little different, so you put an incentive and give him a chance – maybe he has a good year and earns some money through incentives. There are a lot of different ways to handle that.”

“I’m pretty surprised that Atlanta didn’t renew Matthew Judon’s contract.

Generally, in situations like this, I attempt to create incentives if you happen to don't want an extension.” ~ Bill Belichick#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/VzW7zpi3Vm

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) 26 August 2024

Belichick's pointed comments about Atlanta may not come as a surprise, considering the 72-year-old coach was considered a finalist for the Falcons' head coaching job last season before the team ultimately hired Raheem Morris.

Patriots

Drake May got off to a formidable start on Sunday night, leading a touchdown drive on his first series of the evening.

The offensive line had its problems, nevertheless. They missed a number of pulls, one in all which led to Jacoby Brissett taking place. Mayes' first snap was botched.

During one game, Sidy Sow was seen stepping on Maye's cleats. The shoe flew off Maye's foot and onto the grass.

Maye refused to present up on the play, continuing his run and keeping his eyes on the sector, where he connected with running back JaMycal Hasty for a 14-yard gain.

Maye accomplished eight of his first 12 passes, including an 18-yard touchdown to Kevin Harris, who broke a tackle, kept moving and charged toward the goal. Maye also found fellow rookie Ja'Lynn Polk on a 29-yard play-action pass.

Brissett, who coach Jerod Mayo said was the Patriots' starter before the sport, went 2-for-4 in the primary quarter during his only series of appearances.

Patriots

Drake May played only one series against his hometown Carolina Panthers last week during his NFL preseason debut.

The Patriots have approached the rookie quarterback's development cautiously this preseason. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said the concerns in regards to the offensive line had something to do with how little Maye played last week.

But there’s one other factor that influences the Patriots’ timidity with the No. 3 overall pick in 2024, in accordance with Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston.

The Patriots are hesitant partially due to the end of the Mac Jones deal, and their fears have also affected how they take care of Maye, Curran said during a recent appearance on NBC Sports Boston.

New England drafted Jones No. 15 overall in 2021. He had a successful rookie season before being traded to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick within the offseason after two disastrous seasons.

“Do I think they're doing the right thing by playing it safe? No,” Curran said. “You can play it out, you can pass it off, you can run draws, you can run screens. You can leave everybody there to block. You can leave him on the field a million percent of the snaps Bailey Zappe took, a lot of the snaps Joe Milton took. None of those guys got blown up.”

“So to me, that's way too cautious, but that's what happens when you look back and destroy a first-round quarterback,” Curran added. “The wreckage is still smoldering.”

The Patriots have been scarred “a million times” by the course of Jones' profession, Curran said.

“The owner, Mayo, and everyone else involved in making decisions, Eliot Wolf, as members of the management team, saw what had happened at Mac Jones and said, 'We're not making that mistake again,'” Curran said.

Mayo said earlier this week that Maye would play more within the Patriots' second preseason game against the Eagles on Thursday. Mayo said he was unsure how much he would play.

“I'm excited to get out there,” Maye told reporters Tuesday. “I'm excited to go out there with the guys and try to make some plays. I'm going to dress up. I don't know how much I'm going to play, but I'm going to go out there and play until they take me out.”