After getting his first chance to rub elbows with other elite NFL stars at the Pro Bowl, Drake Maye is now making the rounds in New Orleans.
Maye has been making quite a few appearances during his time on Radio Row and had a lengthy appearance on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Tuesday as well as the Up and Adams Show with Kay Adams.
Here’s everything he had to say in both appearances:
GMF with Jamie Erahl, Kyle Brandt & Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
On playing in his first Pro Bowl and what his first ‘rookie moment’ was during the weekend
“I think throwing a touchdown to Ja’Marr (Chase) was pretty cool. That was pretty cool for me to experience that. He’s one of the best in the NFL. Really, my rookie moment was just being around the guys. Just being around the veterans. Seeing guys like Dexter Lawrence and Jeffery Simmons, some I’ve played against. Danielle Hunter who strip sacked me himself, so seeing guys that I faced all year long, guys I grew up playing Madden with as a video gamer. Kind of getting a chance to be around them and be one of the guys was the coolest moment for me.”
On Mike Vrabel and early conversations they’ve had
“The big thing is Year 1 to Year 2, people always talk about taking a jump. For me, just trying to improve in certain areas. One way is protecting the football. I think I can protect the football better and be better in situational moments. I think that can be huge for myself. The big thing for me is getting the guys going. Coach Vrabel was talking about coaching us up hard and getting the right guys in the locker room. I think that’s huge. Getting a guy who has done it in New England and knows how to have success. I’m looking forward to having him there and just excited.”
On who the MVP of the Pro Bowl was off the field (traveling to events, at the pool, etc.)
“AFC? That’s a great question. The guys up front were great. Big Jeff Simmons was great. I think Derwin James. Derwin James has a great personality. Derwin James was obviously a great player, what a career he’s had. I think he’s got a great personality, great guy in the locker room to have and I think being a veteran he’s been to a couple Pro Bowls, so he was kind of the glue guy on the team and the big personality. It was awesome to have Derwin around.”
On the Proctor & Gamble Battle of the Paddles event he’s participating in
“I feel pretty good about myself. The P&G Battle of the Paddles…looking forward to getting down there. That’s tomorrow (Wednesday), ya’ll can tune in it’s on Complex’s YouTube channel, it starts at 7 p.m. So, trying to represent the New England Patriots. I think ping pong is a big thing in locker rooms across the league, so trying to represent my guys and give them a chance to kind of show our talent. Me and Hunter Henry back in New England go at it a good bit. So, looking forward to kind of showing our talents. I like my chances to win so, like I said, looking forward to (Wednesday). Tune in. P&G and Lowe’s are teaming up, they’ve got some more deals on Lowe’s.com through P&G products, so looking forward to kind of showing my talents and hopefully, don’t get too nervous.”
On his ping pong skills
“Yeah, I’m ok. Obviously, grew up getting beat up on by my older brothers in ping pong. I still can’t beat my oldest brother, but I’ve got a chance to take it down there tomorrow.”
On being good at marketing and pitches
“Yeah, I had some tough play calls this year that I had to memorize. So, not too bad.”
On growing up being named Drake in an era where Drake the artist is extremely popular
“I think it’s pretty cool. I think it’s pretty cool. Obviously, I’m the ‘other’ Drake and probably not even the second Drake. Honestly, I’m sure there’s a bunch more celebrity Drake’s out there. So, what a famous musician and I’m a big fan of Drake myself, so I need to get to one of his concerts. That’s one thing I need to check off my list, going to a Drake concert. I think it’s part of the nickname Drizzy. So, I think it’s pretty cool.”
On his nickname
“A lot of people call me Drizzy. Drake-O, they all kind of make their own names.”
On if he’s friends with Kendrick Bourne
“Yeah, KB is my guy. What a great personality.”
On where he spends his time in the offseason
“That’s a good question. I think kind of…my rookie year figuring it out…really, the first time in my life you got four months off. So, I’m trying to stay in shape. I’ll be back in Chapel Hill. Obviously, that’s where I went to college and I have a lot of guys there to throw to and work out at. I’ll be back home with my parents a little bit, but, you know, my main focus is to get back up there to New England. I’ll kind of mix in being up there. So, I’ll probably be between North Carolina at home and New England.”
On the Lebron or Jordan debate being from North Carolina
“I grew up watching Lebron and what a player he is, it can’t take me a way from my roots. Michael Jordan is a North Carolina guy and I think it’s an easy answer for me with Michael Jordan.”
With Kay Adams on Up and Adams
On the TD to Chase in the Pro Bowl flag game
“I think Ja’Marr made it pretty easy. He beat him off the line and my job is just to get it up to him and give him a chance and I think he created enough room where I could throw it about anywhere. It was fun throwing to a guy like that. What a season he had. It was fun to be at the Pro Bowl around all the guys, it was pretty cool.”
On throwing to an All-Pro receiver
“Yeah, it was pretty nice. It was pretty nice. But, hey, we’ve got some guys in Foxborough that are doing their thing. I’ve got to do a better job of giving them the rock.”
On the one memory he’ll remember most from the Pro Bowl
“I think probably just hanging around with the other quarterbacks. Those guys…Joe Burrow on the AFC side and Russel (Wilson) and Baker (Mayfield) and Jared (Goff) and Sam (Darnold), just hanging around with the other quarterbacks, some veteran guys. Just pick their brains, they’ve been around the league and had great seasons, so I think it was pretty cool to be around them and kind of get to soak it in and ask questions and just be the rookie myself, asking stupid questions of them and they’re laughing at me. It was pretty cool.”
On what he asked and what he picked up
“We were at the skills challenge on Thursday night and just, not very smart of me…I didn’t even know we got paid down at the Pro Bowl, so I asked ‘do we get paid to come down here?’ So, those guys thought it was a bad question and a dumb question. So, a nice rookie question for the veteran QBs.”
On if he’s been recruiting players with the Pats having a lot of cap space this offseason
“No, I definitely think a little bit. Getting to know some of the guys, tell them a little bit about Boston, about Foxborough, about Gillette a little bit, about the fan base. I think it’s definitely time to get to know some guys and let them know the Pats have got some things to make some moves this offseason.”
On what Vrabel’s energy level was during the initial phone call between the two
“I think probably about a 7-out-of-10. He had some energy talking to his quarterback. He had some energy and was fired up to get things going and get things kind of in the right place in Foxborough. He was excited and seemed like he was ready to get things going. I just know he’s a big dude and obviously a football player himself. I’m sure he’s got some high energy and holds people accountable.”
On what Vrabel said to Maye about Maye
“I think he’s excited. He’s excited to work with me. He’s been a head coach and knows what it’s like to win in this league. He’s excited to get things back at a place he played with the Patriots, get things back kind of in line and on the right path. I thunk he’s excited to be the head guy moving everything in that direction and he said he’s excited to get me up there and put me to work.”
On what kind of work he thinks Vrabel will put him through
“I think just, a jump from Year 1 to Year 2 is huge for a quarterback. I think…he hired Coach McDaniels and the rest of the staff, so he’s ready to get things in gear, get ready for the season and shoot, we’re playing in the NFL. It’s always an awesome opportunity to get a chance to compete at it every year.”
On what his first conversation with Josh McDaniels was like
“He was awesome. He was awesome. Shoot, what he’s done with the Patriots, I think it speaks for itself. He’s coached one of the greatest – and I think the greatest to play – what a success he had at the Patriots and he’s been a head coach as well. He’s got a lot of experience and his stuff works. He’s proved it can work. His stuff is already in the system from all the years, the data bases with all the years he had on the film and stuff, so it’s been nice. I know a little bit of the terminology just from watching some old Tom stuff. Looking forward to getting things rolling and he’s fired up as well.”
On if it was all X’s and O’s in the initial conversation and if it was over the phone or FaceTime
“A little bit. Coordinators always find a way to gravitate towards talking X’s and O’s, so it wasn’t too much. I think, getting to know me first is a bit deal for him. That’s a big deal for him, getting to know his players. So, he was awesome.”
On if Vrabel or McDaniels gave him a hard time about missing Vrabel’s introductory press conference
“I didn’t get anything from them two, so if they did, I would apologize. Obviously, I’d be there for them. But, hey, I think (the engagement) was a big part of my life and I didn’t know when they were going to hire the head coach. So, just timing was off.”
On what he’s bringing to the P&G Battle of the Paddles
“First off, I think I’m taking it as a challenge. Gotta come in here ready to compete. I know there’s some good players in it. I’m sure Kirk Cousins is solid. Micah Parsons, Chris Olave, we got some athletes in there. I think I’m ready to go. We play a lot in the locker room, me and Hunter Henry, we go against each other and we’ve got some nice battles. So, I’m looking forward to it…tune in, we’ve got a good chance to hopefully bring away the title and I’m ready to go for it.”
On his first Patrick Mahomes memory
“I was a little too old to grow up loving him. I grew up loving Cam Newton as a Panthers fan. I grew up loving Cam Newton. From there, the earliest Mahomes moment…I think Texas Tech. I was a a big fan of college football in middle school and high school. Watching some of his crazy plays and crazy throws was probably my first memory of Mahomes.”
On if he had $120 million in cap space, which free agent he was around at the Pro Bowl would he bring in
“Ja’Marr is obviously a great answer, I think. Shoot, another receiver there that I met, Nico Collins was awesome. Who else…I don’t even know the other free agents. Justin Jefferson, he’s an easy person to come to Foxborough, so…”