The Patriots will almost certainly finish closer to the No. 1 pick than the playoffs. But ask yourself this: How many AFC teams have better quarterback situations right now?
Drake Maye represents legitimate hope where a week ago there was none. His three-touchdown debut in a 41-21 loss to the Texans served as what the Patriots can only hope is a microcosm of their season – a rough start followed by a tantalizing finish.
Rarely has a three-touchdown loss felt so good. With one 40-yard bomb to Kayshon Boutte, Maye rewound the clock three decades to another top pick at the game's most important position, one who ultimately took the Patriots to a Super Bowl.
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Anyone around when Drew Bledsoe closed the 1993 season with four straight wins, including a scintillating four-TD performance in the finale against Miami, remembers wishing the 1994 season could start the next day. Sunday rekindled those feelings.
And so we'll ask again, How many conference rivals would you swap QBs with right now? And by my count, the answer is impressively small: five.
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Start in the AFC East, where two flawed clubs squared off for a Monday Night Football flag-fest. Buffalo's Josh Allen remains the class of the division and is one of the top three QBs in the game. You'd take him over Maye, whose running ability and big arm make him an Allen mini-me.
But Aaron Rodgers? No thank you. The city that once gave us Broadway Joe is now in thrall to a drama queen who has already gotten his head coach fired and just saw the Jets assume the bloated contract of Davante Adams in a trade with the Raiders as part of their never-ending quest to keep the diva QB happy.
At 2-4, the Jets are in danger of watching their season slip away this month, in which case Rodgers will find a reason not to be around by the finish. Good luck, Gang Green.
Then there are the Dolphins. On paper, they own one of the most explosive offensives in football. In reality, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is a time bomb, and assuming he returns from yet another concussion, as reports indicate he intends, his next incapacitating brain injury will forever be one snap away. The mere act of watching him feels like complicity. I'll take Maye with a clear conscience.
Move to the AFC North, and there are two quarterbacks you'd take over Maye for sure: two-time Ravens MVP Lamar Jackson, and former AFC champ Joe Burrow of the Bengals. Both are proven Pro Bowlers who have led their teams on deep playoff runs. They're studs. The Patriots can only hope Maye approaches either of them.
But the rest of the division? Nothing special. The Steelers are once again 4-2, because Mike Tomlin invariably finds a way to win 10 games, but Justin Fields is already a retread, and Russell Wilson is over the hill.
The Browns, meanwhile, ignored Deshaun Watson's gross personal grossness and are getting what they deserve for fully guaranteeing him $230 million. They're 1-5 and Watson grades as the worst quarterback in the league. If he weren't making so much money, he'd have been benched faster than Jacoby Brissett, who's at least a decent human being.
Jumping to the AFC South, we just saw the only QB in that division you'd take over Maye, and he's an inspiration, in a way. C.J. Stroud wasn't supposed to necessarily be ready last year, either, and he not only was named Offensive Rookie of the Year, he also led the Texans to the playoffs. They're 5-1 this year and Stroud has them humming.
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But the rest of the division is a mess. The Colts thought they had their QB of the future in 2023 fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson, but after an encouraging start last year, he injured his shoulder and underwent season-ending surgery. He appeared in only four games.
He's already hurt again this year (oblique), but he looked so mediocre when he did play that the team might stick with veteran Joe Flacco, who was a free agent driving his kids to school at this time a year ago.
The Titans are trying to make Will Levis work, but he leads the NFL in interceptions (seven), while the sport's biggest mystery remains Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who just keeps regressing. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick was considered a can't-miss prospect, but miss he has nonetheless. The Jags are off to a 1-5 start while Lawrence posts pedestrian numbers.
If Jacksonville offered Lawrence straight up for Maye and agreed to make the money work, I still wouldn't take the call.
So that leaves the AFC West. Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes is the best player on the planet and nothing more needs to be said. Bo Nix is off to an OK start with the Broncos, but he was taken nine picks after Maye and lacks his overall ability. The Raiders are Raidering it with Gardner Minshew.
That leaves Justin Herbert of the Chargers. At some point, it would be nice to see all of that arm talent translate into more wins. Los Angeles has made the playoffs just once with Herbert under center, his tools not quite yielding results. It's too soon to say we know definitively what Herbert is, but I'd roll the dice with Maye, who is already exhibiting leadership qualities.
So take heart, Patriots fans. Your roster might be one of the worst in the NFL, but your quarterback isn't, and that's where it all starts. So unless you're watching Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, Burrow, or Stroud, I'd rather be the team with Drake Maye.