Drake Maye entered the New England Patriots facility hyped as the new heir apparent to Tom Brady. But he opted to pattern his game after another Super Bowl winning passer: Aaron Rodgers.
It comes down to how the Patriots' QB1 grips the football. Which he said via Mike Reiss of ESPN comes from observing the now Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.
“The way he spins it, I mean, he spins it with the best of them,” Maye explained.
He added how in the eighth grade, he looked up how to properly grip the football. Rodgers rose as the first athlete he researched and looked into when it comes to gripping.
Maye is now all who's left from the Patriots 2024 draft class. But just guided his Pats to a big road win over the Miami Dolphins ahead of facing Rodgers' Steelers.
Other areas Patriots QB Drake Maye observes in watching Aaron Rodgers
Maye isn't just holding the football the way Rodgers does.
“Just little things like play fakes, those are unbelievable,” Maye continued. “I think the way he uses defenders, he got someone last week on a play fake, and just his intensity, his cadence is one of the best in the league.”
Maye includes how Rodgers is skilled at drawing defenders offsides and taking advantage of big plays. Calling his skillset “pretty cool to watch.”
Maye knows there's work to do on his end in putting together a career like Rodgers. But he's trying to work towards it. He also watches closely Rodgers' demeanor on the football field.
“He’s got some swagger to him, and I think he’s special how he throws the football,” Maye said. “I remember watching it last year when Jacoby [Brissett] was playing and they were playing at the Jets, I was watching him warm up. It’s just something you don’t take for granted, somebody throws the football that way. Yeah, big fan.”
He gets to share the field with the QB he looked up to. As Rodgers' Steelers are the favorites heading to Foxborough.
