Rob Gronkowski’s defense of Drake Maye centered on a broader concern about the New England Patriots’ offense: the former Patriots tight end said Maye had made several good throws that went uncaught, and argued the quarterback should not shoulder all the blame. Gronkowski shared his assessment during an appearance on Up & Adams, hosted by Kay Adams.
While discussing footage from New England’s Week 3 loss to Jacksonville, Gronkowski said he saw plays where Maye had few apparent options. He also said the Patriots need their receivers to get open more and called the problems a team issue. Looking ahead to New England’s scheduled Sunday matchup with the Buffalo Bills, Gronkowski said he did not expect the Patriots to win.
Rob Gronkowski’s defense of Drake Maye on Up & Adams
Gronkowski pointed to several throws he considered good that were not caught, then described what he believed he saw in the footage. The discussion came as Adams asked what Maye was supposed to do with the football on the plays being shown from the loss to the Jaguars.
“There is literally no one open on the field,” Gronkowski said while assessing one of the plays. He added that Maye would otherwise have to fit the ball into tight windows on the routes shown. Those comments reflect Gronkowski’s reading of the selected clips, rather than an independently verified assessment of receiver separation on every play.
Gronkowski also acknowledged that Maye needs to build confidence. But he argued that the quarterback’s development and the offense’s wider difficulties should be considered together, rather than treating the struggles as Maye’s problem alone. His position was not that Maye has no responsibility, but that the plays shown did not always give the quarterback an easy or obvious answer.
The former Patriots tight end is now an NFL analyst for Fox Sports, and he approached the segment by reviewing the plays instead of discussing Maye’s performance in isolation. As he watched another clip, Gronkowski again emphasized that the quarterback could be forced to attempt a difficult throw when routes did not produce an open target.
Gronkowski says the Patriots’ offensive problems go beyond Maye
“It is a team thing as well,” Gronkowski said. He said New England needs to get more momentum from its offense and described the defense as solid, while warning that an offense that struggles to move the ball, score, and avoid turnovers can put pressure on the rest of the team.
Gronkowski said the quarterback needs to build confidence, but also placed responsibility on the surrounding offense. “Those wide receivers need to get open more,” he said.
That distinction shaped Gronkowski’s defense of Maye: he did not deny the quarterback has work to do, but argued that difficult throws and a lack of open targets can make it harder for any passer to find a consistent rhythm. His remarks offer an analyst’s view of the footage, not confirmation that receivers were unavailable on every route.
Gronkowski also questioned how much an offensive coordinator can change the results when the available talent is not consistently creating separation. In his view, the playbook can only do so much if the quarterback repeatedly has to throw into tight coverage. That was part of his broader explanation for why the Patriots’ early-season problems should be evaluated across the offense.
His comments also connected the offense to the defense. Gronkowski said the Patriots’ defense is solid, but warned that it could eventually be worn down by an offense that is not moving the ball, not putting up points, and turning the football over. The point was less about assigning blame for one result and more about the pressure created when one side of the team cannot sustain drives.
Why Gronkowski says the Patriots need A.J. Brown
Gronkowski said, “They do need A.J. Brown back.” The comment reflects Gronkowski’s view of what the Patriots need; it does not independently establish Brown’s availability, injury status, or a timeline for a return.
He later stressed that Brown should return “as soon as possible,” presenting the receiver as the kind of player who could help address the lack of open targets he saw in the clips. The source does not provide additional information about Brown’s status, so Gronkowski’s remarks should be understood as an assessment of the Patriots’ needs rather than a roster update.
Gronkowski’s broader argument was that Maye cannot be expected to make a perfect throw into a tight window on every route. A receiver who can get open, he suggested, would give the quarterback a more workable option. That is his assessment of the team’s needs, not a report of a roster change or a guaranteed fix.
That context is central to his defense of Maye. Gronkowski allowed that confidence matters for the quarterback, while arguing that confidence is harder to build when the offense is not creating favorable opportunities. The former Patriots player therefore described the situation as a combination of quarterback development, receiver execution, offensive production, and turnovers.
Gronkowski expects a tough Patriots-Bills test in Buffalo
The Patriots are scheduled to play the Bills in Buffalo on Sunday at 1 p.m. Gronkowski, who played for New England and grew up near Buffalo, was not optimistic about the matchup.
“I don’t have them winning this game,” he said. He added, “I just don’t see the Patriots pulling it off.” That is Gronkowski’s prediction, not a statement about the result: the game was still upcoming in the reported segment.
Gronkowski cited Buffalo’s form, the new stadium, and the home crowd and atmosphere as reasons for his outlook. He said the environment was so intense that it explained why the stadium could not have a dome, adding that the fans would have “blown the roof right off of it.” He also described the Bills as solid all-around on offense.
His outlook makes the matchup an immediate test for a Patriots offense he believes needs more than improved quarterback play. Whether New England can create better opportunities for Maye and sustain its offense against Buffalo remains to be seen. The game also provides the next setting in which the issues Gronkowski identified—open receivers, offensive momentum, scoring, and turnovers—will be evaluated.
Boston.com reported Gronkowski’s comments from his appearance on Up & Adams with Kay Adams. Read the original report.
