Drake Maye Calls Out 'BS' Criticism of Jerod Mayo, Patriots Coaching Staff

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye fired back at criticism of head coach Jerod Mayo as well as offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt following a 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

"A Bunch of conversations about our coaching staff and things like that," Maye said, via Mark Daniels of MassLive.com. "I think it's some BS, to be quite honest. Coach Mayo, we've got his back. He's coaching us hard. He wants to win. We all want to win. We're all frustrated. AVP has been, I feel like, calling it great these last couple weeks. We're just plays away. It's me turning the ball over."

"There's guys not even playing who are yelling on the sideline and want to win I think we're building something good, something that feels right here," he added, per Daniels. "And I'm proud to be a Patriot."

Sunday's loss represented New England's fifth straight defeat, putting the team at 3-12 on the season.

The Patriots nearly put together a late comeback against the Bills, scoring a touchdown to pull within three points near the end of the fourth quarter. Buffalo was able to move the chains and run out the clock after New England called all three of its timeouts on the ensuing possession, though.

Maye has been one of the few bright spots for the Patriots this season, and he continued to showcase his potential against Buffalo. He finished 22-of-36 for 261 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an interception, adding 30 rush yards on six attempts.

Maye's defense of New England's staff is admirable, especially for a quarterback still navigating through his first season in the NFL.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft has only been the Patriots' starter since Week 6. Entering Sunday's action, he completed 68.5 percent of his throws for 1,898 yards and 12 touchdowns while getting picked off nine times.

Mayo's job doesn't appear to be in jeopardy despite New England's poor record, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that he's expected to return as the team's head coach in 2025 barring a complete collapse before the end of the regular season.

As Maye wraps up his inaugural year and looks to build momentum heading into his second season, he's continued to stick up for his coaching staff.