Drake Maye: ‘Hard not to be excited’ about Patriots wide receiver group

Posted by Admin September 5, 2026 NFL

The last time Drake Maye played an NFL game, his top three wide receivers were Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins and Stefon Diggs. While Hollins remains with the Patriots from their loss to the Seattle Seahawks in February’s Super Bowl, the other two have since left New England.

In their place, offseason acquisitions A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs will fill starting roles this fall. And while both Boutte and Diggs were productive working with Maye, the likes of Brown and Doubs are, on paper, an upgrade.

Unsurprisingly, there is quite a bit of excitement heading into Wednesday’s season opener against those very same Seahawks — starting with the Patriots’ quarterback himself.

“It’s hard not to be excited,” Maye told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Saturday. “You love guys in that room, in our skill position room, that we have that make my job easier and that make me look good.

“And that’s with our skill group last year. I was looking forward to seeing what this skill group does because I think another year for the guys that were here in this system to grow and be even better, and the new guys that come in that have been players in this league — look forward to getting the ball as fast as I can, as much as I can. Those guys can make plays. I got the best seat in the house when I throw it to them or watch them run.”

Brown and Doubs project as the main targets in a wide receiver group that also consists of 2025 holdovers Hollins, DeMario Douglas — the projected starter in the slot — and sophomores Kyle Williams and Efton Chism. In addition, the Patriots also invested a third-round draft selection in Eli Raridon to complement starting tight end Hunter Henry; they furthermore get running back duo Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson back.

Together, all of them give Maye a supporting cast that might be one of the most talented in recent Patriots history. It certainly beats what the young passer had at his disposal in his first two seasons in the league.

The 24-year-old got a taste of that already in training camp.

“It’s a huge confidence booster for me of seeing them time and time again go up and make plays,” he said. “And fortunately enough, growing up, my dad played quarterback, and he always said, ‘It’s hard to force it to one guy.’ Knowing that those guys will make plays when you feel like the game’s moving and you feel like the offense is in a groove, that just comes naturally. That’s what you have seen with guys that have big games, and you can see from last year of different guys having big games. That’s one of the best things about my position is just seeing everybody do their part and do their job well and how rewarding that is.”