The New England Patriots have the New York Jets to thank for Drake Maye.
At least a little bit, that is.
The Patriots drafted Drake Maye No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The only reason the Pats had the third pick is because they lost in Week 18 of 2023, the last game that Bill Belichick was head coach.
And the team that beat them that day? The Jets.
The Patriots would've been in a tiebreaker position further down the board if they had won that day.
Maybe they still would've gotten Maye.
But at No. 3, they were guaranteed Maye after the Bears took Caleb Williams and the Commanders took Jayden Daniels.
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On that key Week 18 day, the Jets won comfortably, 17-3, snapping a 15-game losing streak to the Patriots.
Breece Hall ran 37 times for 178 yards and a touchdown that day in some wintry conditions.
The Patriots started Bailey Zappe at QB, and he was just 12-for-30 for 88 yards with two interceptions, laying the groundwork to end up with Maye.
For the Pats, all's well that ends well.
For the Jets, they probably aren't thrilled that they're now in the same division as Maye.
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