Drake Maye was excellent in the New England Patriots' Monday Night Football victory over the New York Giants, completing 24 of his 31 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. The second-year quarterback is the conductor of the best team in football and is trending in a direction that could end with him walking away with a very surprising MVP award. There were certainly flashes last year that a campaign like this one was possible, but even the most hopeful Pats fan had to think it would be further down the road.
When the Patriots started hot thanks to Maye's terrific play early in the year, a lot of people expected the other foot to drop by this point. It wasn't that long ago that hearing the opinion New England would win its division over the Buffalo Bills was cause for great gawking. But pundits who were high on Maye have been rewarded week after week.
To the point that hearing his name and "MVP" in the same sentence barely registers anymore. Meaning the goalposts should be moved for maximum effect.
Colin Cowherd, on his show Tuesday, took things to a new level by putting Maye in the highest company that exists.
"You get a franchise quarterback every year," Cowherd said. "You get an all-timer about every four or give years. I think we found one."
"You get a franchise quarterback every year. You get an all-timer about every 4 or 5 years. I think we found one."@colincowherd thinks Drake Maye has a chance to be special in New England pic.twitter.com/i9t9S6nI3V
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 2, 2025
"Size. Arm. IQ. Drake Maye. He doesn't miss," Cowherd said of the Pats' emerging standout.
Again, it's worth considering how quickly opinions like these have become widely accepted. Things change extraordinarily fast in the NFL. Patriots vs. Chicago Bears is a very reasonable Super Bowl matchup. Kansas City, Baltimore and Detroit may all miss the playoffs. Maye is ... just shoulder to shoulder with the elite quarterbacks in the league right now.
Of course, all of this buildup is going mean nothing once Maye puts a postseason result or two on the ledger. Then the takes can really begin. And even if he does win a Super Bowl, he can suffer the same fate as Jalen Hurts who is not getting a great edit even as Super Bowl MVP.
Point is, it's exciting when one of these players begins to deliver on their promise. Nothing Cowherd said is particularly bold. It just reflects an entirely different conversation than the one people were having even a few weeks ago.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Colin Cowherd Gives Highest Praise Yet to Drake Maye .
