Comparisons ran wild before Week 16 when the New England Patriots visited the Buffalo Bills that surrounded the quarterbacks.
Drake Maye outplayed MVP frontrunner Josh Allen in the game. From his strong arm to his big mobile stature, the comparisons for the quarterbacks, while at very different points of their career, are understandable.
Maye and the Patriots turn around on a short week to host Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.
Be ready to read more of the same for Week 17.
Maye is listed at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds while Herbert stands 6-foot-6 at 236 pounds. Both young quarterbacks, like Allen as well, offer dominant physical gifts that allow them to stand out around the NFL. While Herbert still searches for his first playoff victory, he won Offensive Rookie of the Year and already made a Pro Bowl. The Patriots hope Maye can take that similar leap in ability while the rookie clearly respects Herbert’s game.
“First off, he seems like a great leader,” Maye told reporters Tuesday, per team-provided transcript. “I think you see that and you see a little bit of the same personality as me, more quiet and earn the guys’ respect. I think you see him coming out more and more ,the stuff you see at the Chargers. He means a lot to the offense. You can see what he does making plays with his feet, but I think the biggest thing is he’s just consistent. He doesn’t turn the ball over and he just does a good job of moving the football and finding ways to win.”
Maye’s help is severely limited with the current Patriots roster, though he has an ideal security blanket in tight end Hunter Henry. The veteran and current New England captain helped Mac Jones in his rookie campaign in 2021 and similarly boosted Herbert with the Chargers in 2021. The rookie quarterback whisperer found his appreciation for Herbert’s continued development.
“Justin’s a stud, man,” Henry told reporters, per team-provided transcript. “Everybody sees the stuff he does on the field. I think it’s been cool for me. I was there for him as a rookie and to just watch from afar, the growth that he’s had. I mean, he was killing it his rookie year, but just the growth that he’s continued to have. He has all the tools, strong arm and makes every throw. He’s mobile, he can extend plays, he can run. He just presents a lot of challenges for defense. He’s a special, special player. It’s always fun. He’s just a high-level competitor that loves to compete and loves to win and you got to love going against a guy like that.”
Jerod Mayo and the Patriots have plenty to game plan for entering the AFC battle, so he left the comparisons at quarterback for others to make.
“For me, it’s probably too early to tell,” Mayo told reporters, per team-provided transcript. “What I would say is, again, I don’t want to get into the comparison thing. I think Drake is on track to be a very special player in this league, and hopefully we all get a chance to see it.”
