It's obvious the New England Patriots are undergoing a rebuilding phase, but how long it will take depends on who you ask.
Head coach Jerod Mayo unsurprisingly is optimistic about the success of his tenure, and Drake Maye had fans excited about what he can bring to the team.
New England drafted Maye as part of a stacked rookie quarterback class. So it's not a surprise that when ESPN polled 103 NFL players about who would have the most successful career Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels finished first and second, respectively, just like they did in the 2024 NFL Draft. The other signal-callers to receive votes were J.J. McCarthy Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix.
That's right, Maye didn't receive a single vote. Penix and Nix got eight. It's a small sample size, sure. But even a small sample didn't seem to believe Maye would have a successful NFL career.
One could surmise two possibilities from this polling. Either these players aren't fans of Maye's skillset, or they think very poorly of the new state of the Patriots organization. The latter could be more likely as Maye changed the minds of his detractors through his preseason play. And players like Brandon Aiyuk refusing to play for New England despite reportedly being offered a massive contract showed there isn't strong interest in the franchise.
Maye could be the one to help change the perception of the franchise, but it seems like everyone in the NFL will have low expectations for him and the Patriots.
