Mike Vrabel is shutting down rumors of a rift between him and Drake Maye.
After WEEI’s Greg Hill suggested that an anonymous “insider” told him about an issue between the Patriots’ head coach and quarterback, Vrabel made it clear that Maye was a central reason he took the job in New England when speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
“Let me just tell you why I’m here. I’m here because Drake was the quarterback,” Vrabel said. “Believe it or not, I had choices to where I wanted to coach. I wanted to coach here because Drake was the quarterback.
“I don’t have really much other to add to that about a comment from an unnamed source. But I’ll just tell you what I’ve told numerous people if they want to ask me why I’m here.”
Earlier this week, Hill fueled speculation about their relationship on his eponymous show as Maye has struggled mightily through the first three weeks of the NFL season.
“Despite what Mike Vrabel has said publicly, it goes back to Drake Maye not being his guy,” Hill said. “Mike Vrabel is a ‘his guy’ kind of coach. Since he got here, he’s gone out and gotten all of ‘his guys.’”
The Patriots have limped out to a 1-2 start after getting blown out 35-6 by the Jaguars on Sunday.
New England has scored just 36 points through three games, tied with the Dolphins for the fewest in the league, and Maye has been at the center of the offensive struggles.
The third-year quarterback has completed just 63.8 percent of his passes with one touchdown through the air.
Maye’s turnovers have been a major issue as well, throwing the ball away six times and fumbling twice. The signal-caller was added to Wednesday’s injury report with a right shoulder issue, but he was listed as playing a full practice. His status for Sunday’s game against the Bills was unspecified.
Vrabel publicly criticized Maye’s play during his Monday appearance on WEEI, calling the quarterback’s end-zone interception against Jacksonville “a terrible decision.”
“We can hear explanations, we can’t allow for excuses,” Vrabel added when discussing Maye’s accountability.
He dismissed any notion that he’d bench Maye any time soon, though.
“Drake’s our quarterback,” Vrabel said.
