Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Mike Vrabel, who was officially introduced Monday as the 16th head coach in New England Patriots history, said quarterback Drake Maye was one of the top reasons the job was so appealing to him.
After noting how “open dialogue” with owner Robert Kraft and president Jonathan Kraft was critical, Vrabel cited the presence of Maye as another main reason he was convinced about coming to New England, calling him a “young, dynamic quarterback.”
Later, in an interview on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” Vrabel elaborated on how he hopes to grow with the 22-year-old Maye.
“I think he’s young, talented, willing to learn. I think there’s a toughness to him. There’s an amazing skillset in which to mold and to have him lead our football team and lead our offense,” Vrabel said.
“There’s arm talent. There’s athleticism. Certainly, we have to be great around him and we’re going to continue to push him as much as he lets us.”
Vrabel, 49, had also interviewed with the New York Jets and Chicago Bears for their head coaching jobs. One of his most important decisions will be hiring an offensive coordinator to work with Maye, which he said is “far from solidified” at this point.
Asked how he planned to help Maye reach his potential, Vrabel said the first thing would be to “put great people around him.”
“My involvement will be as it relates to game management and situational awareness, where we are on the football field, and trying to develop him as a leader of the offense,” he said. “Drake is going to be his own person, but I’m going to give him some things that I feel like are necessary to win football games.
“We have to be a very efficient passing football team. When you look at what statistically wins in the National Football League, our ability to affect the other team’s quarterback and our ability to provide for an efficient quarterback and passing game is a high contributor to success. There’s a lot of ways to do that — by protecting the middle of the pocket, protecting the football, how we’re aggressive but not reckless.”
Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft, started 12 games as a rookie and finished 225-of-338 for 2,276 yards, with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The Patriots hold the No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft after finishing 4-13 last season and will have an abundance of salary cap space to build a roster around Maye.
Vrabel hinted on which areas he’ll be focusing.
“Certainly, you look at the teams that are able to protect the quarterback and dictate the flow of the game offensively, making sure we’re sound, we’re strong — whether that’s through free agency or the draft, that’s something that’s critical,” he said.
“The D-linemen, they’re getting better every year, more disruptive, bigger, more powerful. So, as they try to disrupt our quarterback, we have to have some things that counterbalance that.”
The Patriots have ranked last in pass block win rate each of the past two seasons.
