Mike Vrabel says Drake Maye was a big reason he took the Patriots job

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Mike Vrabel, who was officially introduced Monday as the 16th head coach in New England Patriots history, said quarterback Drake Maye was a big reason the job He found it so attractive.

After noting how critical the “open dialogue” was with owner Robert Kraft and president Jonathan Kraft, Vrabel cited Maye’s presence as another main reason he was convinced to come to New England, calling him a “quarterback.” young and dynamic.”

Later, in an interview on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” Vrabel explained how he hopes to grow with Maye, 22.

“I think he’s young, talented and willing to learn. I think there’s a toughness to him. There’s an incredible skill set to mold and have him lead our football team and lead our offense,” Vrabel said.

“There’s arm talent. There’s athleticism. We certainly have to be great with him and we’re going to continue to push him as much as he’ll let us.”

Vrabel, 49, had also interviewed with the New York Jets and the Chicago Bears for their head coaching jobs. One of his biggest decisions will be hiring an offensive coordinator to work with Maye, something he said is “far from solidified” at this point.

When asked how he planned to help Maye reach her potential, Vrabel said the first thing would be to “put wonderful people around her.”

“My involvement will be as far as 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 will be his own person, but I will give him some things that I think are necessary to win football games.

“We have to be a very efficient passing football team. When you look at what wins statistically in the National Football League, our ability to affect the other team’s quarterback and our ability to provide an efficient quarterback and a passing game is a big contributor to There are many ways to do that: protecting the middle of the pocket, protecting the ball, being aggressive but not reckless.”

Maye, the third 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 have the fourth pick in the 2025 draft after finishing 4-13 last season and will have plenty of cap space to build a roster around Maye.

Vrabel hinted at what areas he will focus on.

“Certainly, you look at teams that are able to protect the quarterback and dictate the flow of the game offensively, making sure we’re healthy and strong, whether it’s through free agency or the draft, that’s critical. “, said.

“Defensive linemen are getting better every year, they’re more disruptive, they’re bigger, they’re more powerful. So when they try to disrupt our quarterback, we have to have some things that counteract that.”

The Patriots ranked last in pass block win rate in each of the last two seasons.