FOXBOROUGH – Drake Maye never seemed nervous in his rookie year while speaking to the media.

He didn’t again on Thursday either when he spoke for the first time since January. There was still something different though.

An even bigger whiff of confidence in where he and the team are at. The ‘year two jump’ or ‘sophomore slump’ will ultimately be the headline that gets talked to death this season, but regardless of how things go, Maye believes he’s ready to lead.

“Obviously, it comes with the position,” Maye said on leadership. “I’d like to hopefully this year call myself a leader. I’ve been working towards that just earning the guys’ respect. A lot of new faces around here. Come in here and work hard and show those guys that we picked up in free agency or the rookies, or guys we picked up…just kind of the work ethic. Starting off from that standpoint. Show the coaches. I think once you get a new staff, new players, you want to show them, ‘hey, it’s not relax time.’

“Build that, not focus too much on it and hopefully, it becomes natural.”

Working with both Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels has appeared to be seamless so far, which is good news for fans looking for entertaining, forward-moving offense for the first time since 2019 (you can make a case for 2021).

“It’s been awesome,” said Maye. “It seems like he’s been here a while. He’s so comfortable being a head coach. He’s done it before. He’s done it at a high level, won a lot of games. So, I’m looking forward to getting things going. You can see he’s kind of installed a new identity and I think we’re building towards that and just working, trusting his ways and I think everybody’s kind of catching stride as we come off the first week of phase two.”

“It’s been great,” Maye added on McDaniels. “I really enjoyed the guys last year and so far again, it’s been awesome. I think…his ways, he’s been an offensive coordinator, head coach at a high level. His stuff works. Kind of, the proof’s in the pudding. He’s coached a lot of different guys. He coached the best to ever do it, so it’s pretty cool getting to watch old things Tom and (did) and see how he does it. Watching guys play at a high level in the offense…it’s been cool to watch.

“I’m kind of learning the ways and learning kind of the ins-and-outs of it.”

Upon seeing Will Campbell tear up and say he will ‘fight and die’ for Maye on the football field after being selected fourth overall, Maye wanted to throw the helmet and pads on immediately.

“Yeah, you know, listened to it live. I mean, man, that just gets you going, gets your juices going. I think it makes you want to go out there and play football now,” Maye said with a smile. “Pumped that we picked Will and I got a chance to meet him when he flew in on Friday. So, pumped to get things going and obviously, you know, he seems like a football player. That’s what you want around here.”

There’s also a new dynamic playing with someone he grew up watching. Maye discussed his new (possibly) No. 1 receiver, Stefon Diggs.

“Shoot, I mean, Stefon…he’s one of those guys growing up, when I was in high school he was young in the league and I had him on my fantasy team,” Maye joked. “Things like that, playing with him in Madden. So, it’s pretty cool…hopefully, now this season throwing to him. Obviously, he’s coming back from an injury. Looks like he’s doing great. He’s been around and I think it’s just going to be cool to throw to a receiver that’s made plays like he has. He’s made big plays in playoff games. He’s been in a lot of different schemes. He’s played with high-level quarterbacks, to see kind of his point with different stuff.

“it’s my job to give him a chance and go get it.”

The 2025 New England Patriots belong to Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye. The coach has been thee before, but the quarterbacks must take the next step if the Patriots are going to be playoff contenders again.

By all accounts, it’s so far, so good.