The New England Patriots have won four straight games thanks in large part to Drake Maye, but Cam Newton is not quite ready to crown the young quarterback.
Maye was an incredibly efficient 21/23 for 222 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions on Sunday in New England’s 31-13 Week 7 win over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. During Monday morning’s edition of “First Take” on ESPN, Damien Woody said Maye is playing like a top-five NFL quarterback. Newton disagreed.
Newton said he does not feel he can properly evaluate Maye because of the level of competition the Patriots have faced.
“Is he playing good football? Yes, he definitely is, but top five in the NFL? That’s a little angry. … Nothing against Drake Maye because I’m a fan,” Newton said. “If I’ve never been a fan of any young quarterback, he’s my favorite. But I don’t think he’s reached a limit where, now, this is a person that you really have to consider top-five. These performances, if we have to state the obvious, came by way of the Tennessee Titans. The game that was really impressive was when he played against Buffalo.
“That’s not to discredit anything he’s doing. I’m just saying for him to get labeled a top-five quarterback, he has to do it versus well and capable competition on a consistent basis.”
.@CameronNewton can't believe @damienwoody said Drake Maye is playing like a top five QB in the league right now 👀 pic.twitter.com/damjedc4oO
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 20, 2025
Through seven games, Maye appears to have taken a big second-year leap. The former No. 3 overall pick has 1,744 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. He also has 200 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.
There is no arguing that the Patriots have had one of the NFL’s softer schedules. New England lost to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 and then beat the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. They lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 and then rattled off wins over the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans.
Maye has hardly had to face a gauntlet of opposing defenses, but his 116.4 passer rating is third best in the NFL behind only Lamar Jackson, who has missed the last two games, and Jared Goff. That is impressive no matter the competition.
Newton is right that it remains to be seen how Maye will play against elite opponents, but Maye is throwing the ball with tremendous accuracy to all levels of the field. It is not a stretch to say he has played like a top-five QB to this point in this season.
