Drake Maye is playing the 2026 season on a base salary of $1.075 million, with a $3.05 million roster bonus and a cap hit of about $9.9 million. That is the third year of the four year, $36.6 million rookie contract he signed with the Patriots in 2024 after going third overall, and every dollar of it is fully guaranteed.
| Total value | $36,639,764 over four years |
| Guaranteed | $36,639,764, all of it |
| Signing bonus | $23,467,100, already paid |
| Average per year | $9,159,941 |
| 2026 base salary | $1,075,000 |
| 2026 roster bonus | $3,050,888 |
| 2026 cap hit | $9,992,663 |
| 2026 dead cap | $21,650,770 |
| Fifth year option | Available for 2028 |
How Much He Actually Takes Home This Year
Cap hit and cash earned are different things. The $9.9 million charge on the books includes about $5.8 million of prorated signing bonus, money he was paid in 2024. His actual cash this season is the $1.075 million base plus the roster bonus, so roughly $4.1 million.
For comparison, in 2025 he earned a $960,000 base and a $1,500,444 roster bonus, about $2.47 million in cash against a cap hit of $8.34 million. That season he was the 22nd highest paid player on his own team.
Why It Is So Low
Rookie contracts in the NFL are slotted by draft position and cannot be negotiated the way veteran deals can. Maye went third overall in 2024, so his number was effectively set the moment the pick was made. The upside for the player is that the whole thing is guaranteed. The upside for the team is four cheap years of a starting quarterback.
The result is that Maye ranks somewhere around 25th to 28th among quarterbacks in average annual value, total value and guarantees, despite what he did on the field last season: 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, the NFL lead in both passer rating and completion percentage, second team All-Pro and a trip to Super Bowl LX.
When He Gets Paid
Maye becomes extension eligible after the 2026 season, which is the standard timeline for a first round pick entering year three. Spotrac’s valuation model puts a market rate deal for him at roughly four years and $240 million, around $60 million a year, which would put him in the neighborhood of the top of the position. Dak Prescott currently leads all quarterbacks at $60 million a year in average annual value, and Patrick Mahomes leads in total value at $450 million.
The Patriots also hold a fifth year option for 2028, which gives them a fallback if they want more time before committing.
What It Means for the Roster
Maye’s $9.9 million is the ninth largest cap hit on the Patriots this season, behind Milton Williams, Mike Onwenu, Carlton Davis III, Christian Barmore, Harold Landry III, Robert Spillane, Hunter Henry and Morgan Moses. Having a Super Bowl quarterback priced ninth on his own roster is the single biggest reason New England could pay for a defense and then trade for A.J. Brown. See the full picture on our highest paid Patriots players page.
That window closes when the extension gets signed, which is why the next 12 months matter as much off the field as on it.
Related
Drake Maye college stats and draft path · Highest paid Patriots players · Patriots depth chart 2026 · Patriots captains 2026 · Patriots Super Bowl history
The Bottom Line
Four years, $36.6 million, fully guaranteed, signed in 2024. This season Maye makes $1.075 million in base salary and about $4.1 million in cash, against a $9.9 million cap hit. He is eligible for an extension after this season, and it will be a very different number.