Jayden Daniels says it would be "dope" to play for Patriots
BOSTON -- Tom Brady hasn't played for the Patriots in five years. Yet to some young quarterbacks, his face might as well be New England's team logo.
That's at least been the case for Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, two top QB prospects whose first thought when asked about the Patriots this week has been Brady.
"Yeah it would be dope," Daniels said Friday morning when asked about potentially getting drafted by the Patriots. "Obviously growing up and seeing what Tom Brady did there, six Super Bowls, that's tough to live up to. But it would be dope to come in there and see the success they had and help them get back on that track."
Daniels was born in December of 2000 and thus was 14 months old when Brady won his first Super Bowl with the Patriots. It wasn't until Brady's fourth Super Bowl title that a 14-year-old Daniels was able to fully absorb a Brady championship run. Yet with Brady winning three more Super Bowls (two with the Patriots, one with the Buccaneers) through Daniels' high school and collegiate years, the quarterback certainly witnessed enough greatness to forever associate New England with Brady.
He's not the only one. Maye stood at the podium in Indianapolis on Friday and also spoke briefly about potentially playing for the Patriots under the shadow of Brady's accomplishments.
"Shoot, yeah, that's a lot to live up to, man, with Tom. One of the best, one of the GOATs," Maye said, noting that Clyde Christensen, Brady's QB coach in Tampa, worked with Maye and the UNC quarterbacks last year.
Earlier this week, when asked by Adam Schefter about the possibility of playing for the Patriots, Maye's mind immediately went to Brady.
"Shoot, New England. I mean, it's hard not to talk about the dynasty. You know, the great, you think of the GOAT. That's what you think of. When you think of New England, you think of the GOAT, Tom Brady," Maye said. "So just a place that's had a lot of success. They've had some years lately that haven't been as successful and looking to get back on track."
Maye was born in the summer of 2002, after Brady had already won his first Super Bowl. That the QB's legacy in New England was the first thing on his mind speaks to Brady's ridiculous longevity in New England and beyond.
Of course, since Brady left, four quarterbacks have started games for the Patriots, but none have managed to stick as the successor to Brady. That's what largely has driven the Patriots to this spot, where they need to hope a quarterback in this year's draft -- be it Daniels, Maye, Caleb Williams or J.J. McCarthy -- can reestablish stability at the most important position on the field in Foxboro.