Drake Maye spoke all summer about wanting to up his leadership for the New England Patriots. He'll now do so as a team captain throughout the 2025 NFL season.

The Patriots announced their six team captains for the upcoming season on Monday, a group that includes a lot of veteran leadership and some youthful energy. In addition to Maye being voted by his teammates to be a captain in New England, tight end Hunter Henry, linebacker Robert Spillane, edge rusher Harold Landry III, cornerback Marcus Jones, and special teamer Brenden Schooler were all given the good news Monday.

Four of those six are first-time captains in Maye, Landry, Jones, and Schooler. Landry and Spillane both brought a past relationship with Vrabel to New England, having played for him in Tennessee, so it's noteworthy they were voted captains by their new Patriots teammates.

The Patriots have six different captains from last year at this time, when center David Andrews (released/retired), safety Jabrill Peppers (released), linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley (released), quarterback Jacoby Brissett (signed with Arizona), long snapper Joe Cardona (released) and defensive end Deatrich Wise (signed with Washington) were named captains for Jerod Mayo's lone season as head coach. Following Peppers' release last Friday, none of those six captains from last year's 4-13 squad remain in New England.

Drake Maye

There is a lot on the shoulders of Maye as he heads into Year 2 of his NFL career, but he said all summer that he wants to take on a bigger leadership role in the locker room this season. He's done so throughout training camp, and will now have a "C" on his jersey throughout 2025.

Hunter Henry

This marks the third straight season Henry will be a team captain. He wasn't named one ahead of the season in 2024, but took over Bentley's captain duties in October when the linebacker was lost to injury.

Henry has been consistent throughout his four seasons in New England, and led the team with 674 receiving in 2024. He's a trusted voice in the locker room and was honored for his work in the community last week when Henry was named the 2025 recipient of the Ron Burton Community Service Award. 

"It's always a privilege," Henry said after Monday's practice. "It starts with consistency and who you are as a person, as a player, as a teammate. I want these guys to be able to rely on me in any situation, on and off the field. It starts with that, and then just encouraging guys, being positive and lifting guys up any way I can."

Robert Spillane

The Patriots signed Spillane in the offseason away from Las Vegas, where he was a captain for the Raiders the last two years. Now he'll bring that leadership to New England as a key contributor in the middle of Mike Vrabel's defense. 

"It's such an honor to be named a captain. You don't take this lightly," Spillane said from the New England locker room Monday. "I poured my heart and soul into this. To be recognized by my teammates is everything to me.

"To be a great leader is to be someone they can rely on, someone who makes plays when they need it most. I hope to go out there and do that or this team," added Spillane. 

Harold Landry III

Another offseason addition who is now a team captain, Landry brings a lot of veteran experience -- and experience playing under Vrabel -- to New England. In addition to his leadership role, Landry will look to get after the quarterback and add to his 50.5 career sacks.

"I appreciate it. It definitely means a lot," Landry said of his captaincy. "I try to be as consistent as possible with what I say, what I do, and how I work. It means a lot that my teammates  in here appreciate that and respect that. It's definitely an honor and I'm not going to take it for granted."

Landry said it's a unique group of captains in New England, in they all have their different ways of being a leader.

"We all lead in different ways, which goes a long way. Everybody has different personalities, everybody can be reached in different ways," he said. "It's good to have captains that go about how they try to achieve greatness differently. We're all different but we all have one mindset, which is to prepare to go out there and win."

Marcus Jones

Jones is a first-time captain heading into his fourth NFL season. He's an explosive playmaker for the Patriots whether he's playing nickel corner, returning kicks on special teams, or making the occasional appearance on offense. Vrabel praised Jones' leadership in New England's cornerback room during his Monday morning press conference to kick off Week 1, shortly before Jones was announced as a captain.

Jones said he was a bit surprised by Monday's announcement. But he added that he likes to lead by example, and is grateful for the opportunity to lead this team.

"It's definitely a blessing just from the sense of everyone on the team wanted it to happen. I'm thankful, for sure," said Jones. "Being a captain isn't something I'll take for granted at all."

Brenden Schooler

Schooler is also a first-time captain as he heads into his fourth NFL season. He's become a core special teams player for New England since going undrafted in 2022, and earned a Pro Bowl nod and AP All-Pro team honors for his work last season.

"I've worked really hard to get to this point to earn the respect of the guys on the team, so to have them have enough faith in me and trust in me as a leader of the special teams unit, it means a lot to me," Schooler said Monday.

Schooler said he's grateful for having previous special teams leaders like Matthew Slater and Joe Cardona show him what it takes -- and means -- to be a captain.

"It's just not on the field. It's in the meeting rooms, it's in the weight room. I don't think that 'C' ever comes off your chest," said Schooler. "Those guys taught me what it means to be a leader and a role model. It's not always the rah-rah, in your face. It's maybe taking a guy under your wing if he's struggling with something. ... I can't thank those guys enough for showing me how to be a captain."

Schooler had just gotten off the phone with his parents before he spoke with reporters in the locker room, and hadn't had a chance to call Slater just yet. But he'll be reaching out with the good news later Monday.