“Stop Throwing the Kid Under the Bus”: Patriots Legend Issues Strong Response to Drake Maye’s Critics Amid Shoulder Injury Concerns

Drake Maye is under scrutiny again after a rough game against Jacksonville, as the New England Patriots were humbled for a second time this season. The quarterback is clearly not at his best, failing to deliver anything reminiscent of his 2025 campaign. However, former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman thought it was all a bit too harsh.

On the Gronk and Jules Show, the hosts discussed how Maye has become a joke amid his early-season struggles, and Edelman defended him.

“All right, man, stop throwing the kid under the bus. It’s his third year,” Edelman said about Maye.

“Drake Maye looks very uncomfortable,” he added earlier. “He’s lost his confidence. And you don’t want to kick a man when he’s down. I think he needs to take this as an opportunity. He needs to take this as an opportunity to really This is like his first bit of adversity in his career. This guy’s only in his third year in the league.”

It’s a fair point. Maye is only in his third season, and he helped New England reach the Super Bowl LX last year, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks. In 2025, he was in serious contention to even win the MVP award.

This year has been a very different story.

In Sunday’s 35-6 loss to the Jaguars, Maye completed 14 of 25 passes for 199 yards and no touchdowns. Through three games, he has 585 passing yards, one touchdown, six interceptions, and one fumble. His QBR now stands at a troubling 45.9.

Edelman didn’t dodge any of that, but he focused on what Maye brings to the table and challenged the young quarterback to use this rough stretch to prove himself.

“I feel bad for Drake,” Edelman said on FOX Sports. “I know he’s putting the time and effort in; it’s just that he’s pressing a little bit. This is probably the first bit of anything that’s been hard for the kid. You go golf with him, he shoots a 78. You go do a three-point competition, he’ll win that. He’s good at baseball. I saw him at the softball tournament hitting dingers left and right. Maybe a little adversity will toughen him up, and he’ll use this.”

Meanwhile, after the Jaguars game, the third-year quarterback took responsibility for the offensive struggles and turnovers. But questions quickly turned to his right shoulder and whether the injury from the end of the 2025 season is still affecting him.

Maye played it down, though he certainly wasn’t convincing.

“Yeah, I mean, I like to say when you have that much time off, and you get to focus on getting back, that you’re going out there healthy,” Maye said during his press conference following the loss. “You’re going to get banged up every now and then. But at the same time, a lot of guys are banged up. So I’m looking forward to getting back to playing winning football. That’s the main thing. And knowing that, I play a big role in that and then taking that and, taking the bull by its horns.”

Reporters noticed he didn’t shut the door on the topic. Asked directly whether he feels as good now as he did before he got hurt, he gave this answer.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say there’s a problem with my shoulder,” Maye said. “I think there’s times where I think, you look back on the playoff run and that Denver game, and when I took the hit, and to now, I felt good during training camp. And you continue to let it loose.”

Coach Mike Vrabel said he wasn’t aware of any persistent shoulder issue, adding, “I don’t anticipate that being any issue going forward.”

Vrabel stopped short of saying the shoulder is fully healthy, though. And when WEEI asked Maye on Monday whether his arm feels the same as it did before last season’s injury, he sidestepped the question three times. How the quarterback is addressing the topic in the media has created some doubt.

“I’m not sounding the alarm on Maye’s shoulder. I just think his non-answers are worth pointing out, because it would be a big deal if the starting QB still has a shoulder injury from eight months ago,” Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed wrote on X. “And I do believe it’s notable one way or another that he’s not just simply saying, ‘no.’”

Maye needed a pain-relieving injection to play Super Bowl LX, and he now says he wouldn’t call his shoulder a problem.

Whether the shoulder is really behind his slump remains to be seen.

The post “Stop Throwing the Kid Under the Bus”: Patriots Legend Issues Strong Response to Drake Maye’s Critics Amid Shoulder Injury Concerns appeared first on EssentiallySports.