FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots just secured their biggest win of the offseason, and it didn’t happen on the field. On Friday, NFL insider Adam Schefter broke the news that quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant turned down the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator job to remain in Foxborough. For a franchise that once watched Mac Jones crumble under coaching chaos, keeping Grant isn’t just a staffing decision—it’s a franchise-saving move.
The Consistency Cure
Fresh off a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Patriots faced a terrifyingly familiar scenario: a rising star quarterback entering a crucial offseason with poachers circling his coaching staff. But unlike the exodus that derailed the previous era, New England held the line.
Drake Maye, who just wrapped up an MVP-caliber season with 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions, will now do something he hasn’t done since high school: play two consecutive seasons with the same quarterbacks coach. With offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels also locked in, the Patriots are building the one thing Maye needs most—stability.
Avoiding the ‘Year 2’ Cliff
Patriots fans remember the cautionary tale of 2022 all too well. After a Pro Bowl rookie season under McDaniels (3,801 yards, 22 TDs), Mac Jones was handed off to a defensive coach (Matt Patricia) and a special teams coordinator (Joe Judge) in his second year. The result? A regression to 2,997 yards and a broken offense.
New England refused to let history repeat itself. By retaining Grant—who Mike Vrabel hired in February 2025—the Patriots ensure Maye keeps the mentor who helped unlock his elite arm strength and pocket presence.
“Just kind of relaying the connections between the past offense… and now using our own terminology and kind of building the foundation for this offense. There’s so much more we can take with this offense and give me more tools and more answers at the line of scrimmage.”
— Drake Maye, Patriots Quarterback
Maye’s reaction to the news was simple but telling: “Ashton has been awesome.” It’s the sound of a quarterback who knows he won’t have to spend OTAs learning a new language, but instead can focus on mastering the one he already speaks fluently.
What This Means for 2026
The AFC East should be on high alert. Maye isn’t just returning with the same playbook; he’s returning with the same teachers. The 23-year-old signal-caller made it clear after the Super Bowl defeat that he’s “glad to have this uniform on” and ready to fight for another title. With Grant and McDaniels guiding him, the 2026 season won’t be a rebuild—it will be a reload.
