Drake Maye Better Than Josh Allen? Way-Too-Early AFC East 2026 Predictions

The 2026 NFL Draft is finished.

A majority of the prominent free agents have signed with their new homes.

Although we’re still a few months away from preseason starting and then everything kicking off with the Seattle Seahawks in September, we have a strong idea of the rosters teams will deploy in training camp.

Can Drake Maye and the New England Patriots continue rebuilding their once golden dynasty in Boston, or will a new-look Buffalo Bills regain their superiority in the AFC East?

Here are my way-too-early predictions for one of the more top-heavy divisions in football.

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1. Buffalo Bills

Yes, I know, the Patriots made the Super Bowl last year.

And yes, I know: Josh Allen has never made it to the Super Bowl and has come up short every time it looks like he’s about to get there.

Still, as things currently stand, I think the Bills retake their spot as the kings of the AFC East in 2026, with a much better cast of offensive weapons around Allen.

2. New England Patriots

While this might shift if A.J. Brown becomes a Patriot in a few short weeks, right now, I have the Patriots narrowly behind the Bills in the division.

Don’t worry, Patriots fans, you’re still going to have one of the better teams in the conference, and Maye won’t be a one-hit wonder.

But following a disastrous Super Bowl, it’s going to show a lot about Maye and how he rebounds after getting crushed in the biggest game of his career and narrowly missing out on league MVP to Matthew Stafford.

3. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins will go out there and play football behind Malik Willis. If they win, cool, but there will be no tears if they can draft generational wideout talent Jeremiah Smith in 2027.

4. New York Jets

The Jets, like the Dolphins, are going to go out there with Geno Smith and hope that somehow, someway, they make the playoffs for the first time in 16 years.

While that’s the main objective, as with the Miami, if 12 months from now we’re talking about how the Jets just drafted Arch Manning or Dante Moore, no one at Jets H.Q. is going to be too upset about it.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 5:22 PM.