Downs didn’t simply expect Maye to succeed… he predicted it.

Appearing on the “Downs 2 Business” podcast, the Colts receiver revealed the nickname he now uses for the Patriots rookie superstar: “Great Maye.” It’s not a joke, not exaggeration — it’s a label born from first-hand experience.

“I told multiple people two years ago that Maye was going to take the Patriots to be a top team in the NFL,” Downs said. “Not might. Would. I saw it coming.”

A Prediction Born in Chapel Hill

Downs and Maye shared the field at North Carolina during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, forming one of the most explosive QB–WR duos in college football. Downs still remembers what it felt like to watch an 18- or 19-year-old Maye run the Tar Heels offense like a seasoned veteran.

In 2022 — Maye’s breakout season — the young quarterback erupted for 4,321 passing yards and 38 touchdowns, a statistical explosion that instantly put him in NFL conversations. But stats tell only part of the story.

Downs describes something different — a presence, a calmness, a kind of competitive fire that separated Maye long before he stepped onto an NFL field.

“He was just a kid, but he had command,” Downs recalled. “He saw things before they happened. He processed fast. He never rattled. I was like… if he keeps this up, he’s going to walk into the NFL and change a franchise.”

Today, watching Patriots fans chant Maye’s name and watching opposing defenses struggle to keep up with his arm talent, poise, and creativity, Downs feels like he’s reliving what he saw three years ago — only now on the biggest stage in the world.

A New Era in New England

The Patriots entered the season surrounded by doubts. New head coach. New system. Rebuilding roster. A franchise accustomed to greatness suddenly found itself stuck between eras.

Then Drake Maye happened.

From the moment he took over the starting job, he injected life into a dormant offense. His deep-ball accuracy, improvisational ability, and willingness to stand in the pocket and take hits quickly won over teammates and coaches. And most importantly, he started stacking wins — gritty, statement-making wins that signaled the Patriots were no longer a rebuilding team, but a problem for the rest of the AFC.

National analysts began paying attention. Defenses began adjusting. But Maye kept delivering — calm, surgical, confident.

To Josh Downs, none of this is shocking.

“He’s built for this,” Downs said. “People are acting like this came out of nowhere, but I watched him torture defenses in practice every single week. He was doing this at 19.”

A Friendship Forged in Competition

Downs and Maye weren’t just teammates — they were competitors who elevated each other. During their UNC days, they spent countless extra hours throwing after practice, dissecting coverages, and pushing each other through drills.

Downs remembers a quarterback who stayed late, studied more film than anyone, and showed leadership even when he was the youngest guy in the room.

“Everyone talks about his physical talent — which is crazy — but the real secret is how much he cares,” Downs said. “He wants to perfect everything.”

That work ethic is now paying off in Foxborough. The Patriots, a team many expected to finish at the bottom of the AFC standings, have suddenly found themselves in the playoff conversation — largely because of Maye’s rapid rise.

A Potential Playoff Showdown?

One storyline is quietly starting to grow: the possibility of a Colts–Patriots postseason matchup.

As the standings currently project, both teams sit in playoff position, and the idea of Josh Downs lining up against the quarterback he once caught passes from is already generating buzz.

“It would be crazy,” Downs admitted on his podcast. “But I’d love it. That’s competition at the highest level.”

Imagine the buildup:

Two former college stars.

Two young AFC teams on the rise.

Old friends turned rivals.

A quarterback–receiver duo reunited on opposite sidelines, each trying to keep their season alive.

For casual fans, it would be compelling. For UNC fans, it would be emotional. For Downs and Maye, it would be personal — not out of hostility, but out of pride for how far both have come.

The NFL Is Catching Up

As Maye continues shining in New England, the league is beginning to realize what Downs saw back in Chapel Hill: a rare combination of arm strength, timing, leadership, and quiet swagger — the kind of qualities that define franchise quarterbacks.

Downs’ nickname, “Great Maye,” doesn’t feel like flattery anymore. It feels like a warning.

A warning to defensive coordinators.

A warning to AFC contenders.

A warning that New England has found its new cornerstone — and he’s only getting started.

And somewhere in Indianapolis, Josh Downs is smiling, because to him, this isn’t a breakout — it’s simply the beginning of a prophecy fulfilled.