Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Issues Strong Drake Maye Statement

The New England Patriots and head coach Mike Vrabel enter Week 4 trying to figure out their slow start to the 2026 NFL season. After losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week in blowout fashion by a final score of 35-6, the team currently sits at 1-2.

Last season, Vrabel led the Patriots to the Super Bowl. They came up short against the Seattle Seahawks , but the future looked incredibly bright. Drake Maye was a top-tier MVP candidate and appeared ready to take the leap into superstardom this year.

Maye has struggled to begin his third NFL season.

Vrabel has been taking a lot of heat due to the slow start this season for New England . Maye has taken an equal amount of heat.

With that being said, the head coach spoke out on Wednesday with a strong statement about his young quarterback. Vrabel clearly remains confident that the Patriots can get things turned around this season.

Patriots' Mike Vrabel Makes Telling Drake Maye Statement

When asked about a local report that he and Maye have some kind of issue with each other, Vrabel didn't hold back. He put an end to those rumblings quickly.

"Unnamed sources? Let me just tell you why I'm here," Vrabel said . "I'm here because Drake was the QB. Believe it or not, I had choices to where I wanted to coach. I wanted to coach here because Drake was the QB."

Needless to say, Maye has the full support of his head coach. The start to this season may not be going as planned, but the head coach and quarterback are still very clearly on the same page.

Through the first three games of the season, Maye has completed 63.7 percent of his pass attempts for 585 yards, a touchdown, and six interceptions. He has been a turnover machine and hasn't been able to put points up on the scoreboard.

While there are obviously reasons to be concerned about the bad start to the year, New England has time to turn things around. No team is done after just three weeks. Vrabel and Maye made a run to the Super Bowl last season and deserve to be given more time to right the ship.

Next up for the Patriots will be a Week 4 matchup on the road against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills . That will be a very tough game for New England. However, a road win over the Bills could be exactly what the Patriots need to get back on track.