Mike Vrabel found a way to make Drake Maye's brutal start even worse

Drake Maye's struggles at the start of the 2026 season have already been bad enough. The last thing he needs is for his head coach to be making it worse while talking to the media.

Yet here we are.

The New England Patriots are 1-2 to start the 2026 season, and dating back to the playoffs last season, they've been in the news for a lot of the wrong reasons. Mike Vrabel especially.

But shifting the focus to solely what's happening on the field, there is no doubt that quarterback Drake Maye deserves some serious criticism. The NFL world has been coming after Maye following his struggles in the postseason, and things got even worse in the 2026 regular season. It doesn't help that his head coach is offering up scathing reviews during radio show appearances.

Mike Vrabel calls out Drake Maye for "terrible decision" on throw vs. Jaguars

Let's connect a few dots recently, shall we?

After the Patriots were blown out in Jacksonville by the Jaguars in Week 3, Vrabel came to the podium and said that his "concern level" was "very high" for his team.

Then, on a radio appearance after Week 3, Vrabel was asked about Maye's struggles this year compared to last season. He compared it to a golfer gripping the clubs too tight:

“I think quarterbacks want to make plays. They want to throw touchdowns. I think sometimes when Greg and I go golfing, we really want to make a good score, right?… We try to choke the life out of the golf club, and we’re squeezing it so damn tight that the ball has no choice but to go sideways. We need to stop trying to choke the life out of every single play. We need to relax.”

- Mike Vrabel (via The Greg Hill Show)

As that particular interview went on, Vrabel was then asked about a specific throw in which Maye was targeting wide receiver Efton Chism III in the tight red zone. The throw from Maye was worse than ill-advised -- it was downright terrible.

But that is how you and I describe a play like that. Not the head coach of the quarterback.

Vrabel then interrupted a thought from one of the hosts of the show about what Maye "believes" is going to happen when he throws that pass, and said that they would have to ask Maye himself to know what he "believes" about the process involved with making that throw.

He followed it up by coaching the host to ask him his assessment of the play, to which he offered:

"...It's a terrible decision."

Sometimes, honesty from a head coach in situations like this can be refreshing. This particular exchange feels very contentious. And I'm sure Vrabel is being even harder on Maye behind the scenes than he is to the media, so it would probably be wrong to assume he's not telling Maye these things directly.

But when you have a chance to put your quarterback on blast to the media -- as a head coach -- you have to take the high road in almost every instance. Especially in the case of Vrabel and the Patriots, who are now dealing with rumors floating around that Maye was not "Vrabel's guy" at the position.

Guess what? Winning cures everything.

If the Patriots can find a way to get back on track, nobody is going to be talking about any of this anymore. But until Maye's struggles are overwith, this could continue to be a situation that grows, and Vrabel isn't doing his quarterback any favors by saying these types of things.

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