Aaron Glenn gives honest assessment of Drake Maye amid up-and-down start to 2026

The New York Jets haven't exactly faced a murderers' row of quarterbacks to start the 2026 season. Jordan Love and Jared Goff are likely the two best they've seen, but it's not like they've faced an MVP candidate in any of their opponents.

That may change in Week 6, when the Jets travel to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to take on the New England Patriots, and the task would be just a little more daunting if they were facing last year's version of Drake Maye and the eventual AFC champion Pats.

In 2025, Maye had a case that he was the best quarterback in football. He completed 72% of his passes and threw 31 touchdowns to only eight interceptions, finishing second in MVP voting behind Matthew Stafford. This year, Maye has been more of a mixed bag.

The season started rough, but the former No. 3 overall pick has been better in recent weeks. Maye has completed 65.6% of his passes, with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. He hasn't been the exact player from last year's Super Bowl run, but don't think the Jets will take him lightly.

Aaron Glenn cautious of Drake Maye heading into Jets-Patriots matchup

Maye might not be exactly back to his full MVP-caliber form, but he's still a threat, and New York needs to treat him as such. Thankfully, Aaron Glenn understands that this quarterback is dangerous, and they won't underestimate his physical capabilities.

"Well, I go back to last year... Obviously, he was up for the MVP... And he's had some – a couple of games where he didn't play as well... At some point, guys are going to go back to exactly who they are. You know, they will never stay in that rut for long, especially guys of his magnitude. So, it's something that we have to watch out for."

Glenn should know very well what Maye and the Patriots' offense are capable of. Last season, New England torched the Jets in their two AFC East matchups, winning by a combined score of 69-24.

Now, it should be noted that the Jets' quarterbacks for those matchups were Justin Fields and Brady Cook, respectively, and the 2026 iteration of the team seems to have a little more fight in them than their 2025 counterpart.

Regardless, the case could be made that this is the biggest game of Glenn's tenure as head coach of the Jets. If he can beat a hated division rival on the road, it would go a long way in earning him some points with frustrated fans.

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