Drake Maye has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dreary season for the New England Patriots. However, Maye’s rookie season appears to be over early in the team’s Week 18 contest against the Buffalo Bills.
What Happened to Drake Maye?
Maye played the opening series vs. the Bills, then gave way to fellow rookie Joe Milton III.
No injury was announced, but this isn’t the most surprising development. Leading up to the game, now-fired head coach Jerod Mayo mentioned that all three Patriots quarterbacks (Maye, Milton, and Jacoby Brissett) would be active for the game.
In addition, Maye was already dealing with a right hand injury that left him questionable entering the game. He was limited in all three practices leading up to Week 18.
Maye wasn’t the only starter to get the early plug, either, with the Patriots treating the game like a preseason contest.
No Drake Maye, Rhamondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry, Mike Onwenu or Jahlani Tavai after 2 series.
The #Patriots are doing the smart thing today.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) January 5, 2025
Maye ended his rookie campaign with 15 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He ranked 20th in PFN’s QB+ metric entering Week 18, with a 75.4 (C) grade. While that doesn’t sound like much, it’s the best by a Patriots QB since Mac Jones in 2021 and ranks second among rookies behind Jayden Daniels (seventh at 87.6).
Who Is Joe Milton III?
Milton was a sixth-round pick of the Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft, the same class as Maye. Week 18 was his first career game, as he had been a healthy scratch over the first 17 weeks of the season.
Milton played college football at Michigan (2018-20) and Tennessee (2021-23). He was a four-year starter, with his largest impact coming in Knoxville with the Vols. During his final collegiate season, Milton threw 20 touchdowns to five interceptions while passing for 2,813 yards and rushing for seven more scores.
Entering the league, the book on Milton was an extremely physically talented but raw prospect. Miton’s draft profile from PFN’s Ian Cummings labeled his biggest strength as “a rocket launcher for an arm and can generate effortless high-level velocity.”
However, there were also significant questions about how his experience in Tennessee’s RPO-heavy scheme would translate to the NFL, as PFN’s report also noted that Milton had a “suboptimal level of experience with pure drop-backs and multi-read throws.”
2025 NFL Draft Impact for Patriots
New England could have also been deploying a strategic outlook in benching Maye and many of its starters. While the game was meaningless for playoff implications, it was one of the most important when it comes to determining the 2025 NFL Draft order.
With a loss, the Patriots would have clinched the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 1993. PFN projected New England with a 50% chance of earning the top pick entering the day (in essence, their same chance of beating the Bills’ backups).
However, the Milton-led Patriots defeated the JV Bills, knocking New England down to the fourth overall pick.
With the Patriots’ win, the Tennessee Titans inherited the first overall pick after their own Week 18 loss. The Titans rank ahead of the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants (the other three-win teams) due to the strength of schedule tiebreaker that determines draft order. Teams with a lower strength of schedule pick higher in the draft over teams that have the same record.