A superstar quarterback isn't needed to be a contending team in the NFL, but it sure does help. And when it comes to teams with head coaching vacancies, the better quarterback your team has, the more attractive a destination your team is for the top candidates.

The New England Patriots have one of the worst rosters in the NFL. It lacks high-end talent and has weaknesses at many of the most important positions.

But not at quarterback.

Drake Maye just completed an impressive rookie campaign for the Patriots. The No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 421 yards (7.8 per carry) and two touchdowns. He didn't have the luxury of a No. 1 wideout, and New England's offensive line was abysmal.

Maye showed tremendous potential, and that is the reason why the open head coach job in Foxboro is an attractive one.

🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Do the Patriots have to sell themselves to Mike Vrabel? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

How much of an X-factor is Maye in the Patriots' pursuit of head coach candidate Mike Vrabel? Our insiders Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry discussed this topic and more on a new episode of NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Talk Podcast.

"In my opinion, this is the reason why Mike Vrabel wants the job -- it's Drake Maye," Perry said. "The connection to the Patriots is nice, and it's a good story, and he has a red jacket (as a member of the team's Hall of Fame). He has a relationship with the Krafts, which I do think should matter to him because he should have an idea of how much leeway they'll give him as the leader of the football operation. That's important.

"But what's more important is that you have the most difficult and most important position on the field filled, which these other openings ... just don't have that in exactly the same way."

The other team with a head coach opening that has a good young quarterback is the Chicago Bears.

Caleb Williams had a solid rookie campaign for the Bears in which he completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 489 yards. Williams has two good wideouts in veteran D.J. Moore and rookie Rome Odunze.

The Bears are one of the team's Vrabel has interviewed with over the last couple weeks.

"The Bears' quarterback is not as good (as Maye), period," Perry said. "I don't think the -- never mind, 'as good, not as good,' I think the quarterback there and the personality fit with the head coach wouldn't be quite the same sort of snug fit that it would be here in New England."

If you look at Vrabel's six seasons as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, he didn't have a dynamic or top-tier quarterback running the offense. Marcus Mariota, Ryan Tannehill and Will Levis aren't going to lead you to a Super Bowl. Those Titans teams were led by star running back Derrick Henry and a strong defense.

Maye has the potential to be a legit star in the near future, so it's important the Patriots surround him with more talent at the skill positions and a better offensive line.

And they have a bunch of resources -- including the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and around $130 million in salary cap space -- to accomplish that objective over the offseason.

Also in this episode:

• Breaking down the OC candidates
• When will the backbiting stop with the Patriots?
• What if it's not Mike Vrabel or Ben Johnson?
• How will players react to Vrabel?