Drake Maye was giddy to meet Aaron Rodgers when the New York Jets defeated the New England Patriots in a Week 3 matchup.
But on Sunday, the rookie signal-caller got to actually go head-to-head with the future Hall of Famer.
Maye didn’t make it through two quarters, though. He took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood at the conclusion of an 18-yard run with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter. Maye sustained the blow as he was going into a slide. He remained in the game for four more plays, but then exited and did not return.
The head injury for Maye limited his time on the field competing against Rodgers, but the Jets quarterback still came away impressed by what he saw from Maye.
“I think he was doing a nice job on his feet,” Rodgers told reporters following New York’s 25-22 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, per team-provided transcript. “He’s obviously super athletic. He made a nice run for a touchdown. I don’t know what happened to him. But he’s been playing good the last couple weeks. It’s tough on a rookie quarterback coming in, but it seems like he’s getting more comfortable.”
Maye certainly looked the part of a future top-tier quarterback since taking over behind center for Jacoby Brissett, easing fears that the Patriots missed on their No. 3 overall selection.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Maye brought an added dimension to the Patriots offense with his strong arm and ability to make plays with his legs. The latter was on display during New England’s first drive against the Jets when Maye scampered 17 yards for a touchdown.
And the fact that Maye grabbed Rodgers’ attention should keep encouraging Patriots fans that they have found their franchise quarterback.
