Josh McDaniels shares this thoughts on Drake Maye since re-joining the Patriots as the team’s offensive coordinator.
The New England Patriots' voluntary offseason program began on Monday. With a new head coach in Mike Vrabel, the Patriots were among the teams with an early start on OTAs to allow players to learn their new systems and staff members.
Although players are not required to attend until mandatory minicamp, Vrabel's recent remarks made his views on the voluntary portion crystal clear.
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“I write a letter voluntarily to the players to make sure that they voluntarily read it and voluntarily show up," he said.
So, is the offseason program really "voluntary" after all?
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"Yeah, in the same way that you and I would show up for any kind of meeting that our boss says, 'We need you there'," NBC Sports Boston's Patriots insider Tom E. Curran said on Monday's Early Edition.
"So yeah, it's the best move on the part of any employee who wants to, in the midst of a regime change, make himself useful to this new regime. So it's voluntary, sure, but do you want to keep your job? Because May is not a good time to be looking for a job in the NFL."
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Obviously, certain players have the luxury of job security regardless of their voluntary OTAs attendance. For instance, the Patriots gave defensive tackle Milton Williams a record-breaking contract that secures his spot, and Drake Maye is locked in as the team's starting quarterback for 2025.
Others aren't as fortunate. The roster is filled with players who will be battling for spots in camp, and their participation in OTAs will give them an edge over those who skip the voluntary portion.
"For the vast majority of this roster, because it is where it is in terms of its talent level, a lot of these guys are going to be competing for jobs," NBC Sports Boston's Patriots insider Phil Perry said. "And so if one player shows up and the other one doesn't, even though it's a voluntary portion of the schedule, come cut time at the end of training camp, my guess is Mike Vrabel and his staff are going to lean toward the guy who decided to show up."
Curran notes that the start of OTAs has a different feel with Vrabel leading the charge instead of ex-head coach Jerod Mayo. During his introductory press conference, Vrabel preached about "removing entitlement" from the Patriots locker room.
"I think what's different about (Jerod) Mayo's galvanization -- which he was interested in -- and Vrabel's is there's a full clean slate here," Curran said. "All of these guys have to re-prove themselves.
"Mayo knew the locker room. He knew the other coaches to an extent. So these guys, 'Jerod knows me, I'm gonna be OK.' That entitlement notion of 'I'm already pre-sold to this person' has vanished."
Watch the full Early Edition segment below or on YouTube:
