With the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft hanging in the balance, the Patriots might be better served sitting out Drake Maye and several other starters for the team’s season finale on Sunday against the Bills.
A loss to Buffalo — a team that also might rest Josh Allen and most of its starters after clinching the No. 2 seed in the AFC — would lock New England into that top pick, while a win would offer little value beyond a slim silver lining in an otherwise miserable season.
Even Jerod Mayo acknowledged that holding out Maye for Week 18 was a potential option, noting that “everything is in consideration” ahead of what is otherwise a meaningless game against the Bills.