Patriots pull Drake Maye after 1 series vs. Bills, Joe Milton in at QB

Drake Maye’s rookie season has seemingly come to an end. 

Even though the promising QB was given the start for New England’s regular-season finale against the Bills, Maye didn’t last very long in Week 18 against Buffalo.

Maye only logged one series for the Patriots on Sunday before the team pulled him for fellow rookie QB Joe Milton III — who is expected to play for the remainder of the matchup. 

Sunday marks Milton’s first NFL reps, with the 24-year-old signal-caller leading New England down the field for a touchdown in his first drive with the team.

In what was a 13-play, 55-yard drive for New England, Milton completed all six of his passes for 51 yards before rushing in for a touchdown — capping the play with a backflip in the end zone. 

The Patriots have several valid reasons for giving Maye a short leash on Sunday.

A loss against the Bills would secure the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for New England, while giving Milton an extended looks could help him earn a spot as Maye’s full-time backup next season rather than allocating money toward a veteran QB. 

New England also had to ensure that Maye closed out the season with a clean bill of health, with his final play resulting in a sack by Von Miller after Demontrey Jacobs whiffed in pass protection. 

Maye closes out his rookie season (13 games, 12 starts) completing 66.8 percent of his passes for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also carried the ball 54 times for 421 yards and two rushing touchdowns.