Drake Maye Is Being Measured Against Tom Brady, But Has He Done Enough?

Drake Maye faces Jarvis Landry's Tom Brady test© Image via: X/@Patriots

Every great quarterback eventually gets measured against Tom Brady. It rarely ends well. This week, two NFL voices reached for that tape measure and landed in opposite places. Former receiver Jarvis Landry says Drake Maye has done too little to earn the comparison, while Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby says Joe Burrow plays the most like the seven-time champion. Both opinions arrive just days before the New England Patriots meet the Detroit Lions in Munich on Sunday, November 15. Maye gets a chance to talk back with his play, and Burrow's Bengals keep rolling at 6-2.

Why Jarvis Landry Is Not Ready To Give New England Patriots Quarterback Drake Maye The Tom Brady Label

Jarvis Landry made five straight Pro Bowls from 2015 through 2019, so he speaks with some weight. On the 4th and South podcast, he pushed back hard on the Maye hype.

"With the same offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels, to be able to still find ways to get guys the ball where the Patriots were damn near the kings of football. And he can't do it with Drake Maye? But y'all want me to say that Drake Maye is not overrated? Drake Maye is overrated until he proves otherwise. And that's just how I feel about it."

His case leans on volume. Brady piled up more than 40,000 passing yards over 150-plus games in McDaniels' system. Maye sits near 6,500 after about 25. This season has not helped him. He has 11 interceptions through nine games, already past the 8 he threw in all of 2025, and he has fumbled five times. New England has yet to play a game without a turnover.

Tom Brady took a dig at Drake Maye while interviewing #Packers S Evan Williams: “There was some deli meat given out by Drake Maye today.” (????️ @NFLonFOX) https://t.co/qp4SfQj1qP

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 9, 2026

Context cuts the other way, though. Maye led the Patriots to Super Bowl LX last year and completed 72.0% of his throws.

Maxx Crosby Says Joe Burrow Plays Closest To Tom Brady, And The Cincinnati Bengals Are Backing It Up

Crosby has spent his career hunting quarterbacks, so his read on pocket play carries real credibility. On his show, The Rush with Maxx Crosby, he singled out Burrow.

"So, yeah, if you know ball, you realize how good Joe Burrow is. He's the most comparable, in my opinion. This is, and obviously there's still levels and all that, but he's the most comparable to Tom Brady in the way he plays in my eyes. I think he's the closest person we've seen in that regard. Now, you got to go get seven of them, you know, to really be in that world. I'm sure of it, you know, but yeah, just the way he plays, the way he operates, and his pocket presence, I think, is the best thing about his game."

Burrow's production makes that praise easy to defend. The Bengals QB leads the NFL with 21 touchdown passes and the best completion rate. In a 34-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, he hit 24 of 29 throws for 271 yards and three scores.

Maye will not settle this debate in one afternoon. A clean game against Detroit would at least change the conversation.