FOXBORO — There’s a reason why it only took Garrett Bradbury one day to sign with the Patriots after getting released by the Vikings last month.

The veteran center was getting heavy pressure from his family to join forces with quarterback Drake Maye.

“I love Drake so far,” Bradbury said four days into the offseason workout program Thursday while meeting with reporters at Gillette Stadium.

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Bradbury’s brother-in-law, Jackson Kowar, a pitcher in the Mariners organization, played baseball and became close friends with Maye’s brother, Cole, at the University of Florida.

“So when I was going through the free agency process,” Bradbury said. “They were all like, ‘New England, New England, New England.’”

Bradbury and Maye have forged a connection by playing ping pong. They also plan to golf together this spring.

They’ll also share responsibilities, communicating protections at the line of scrimmage.

“I think it’s a combination. I think Drake will have a lot, but I think Drake’s ready for that,” Bradbury said. “They wouldn’t put a lot on his plate if they didn’t have belief in him. And I think he’s a really smart young player, and it will only help him grow. I think sometimes you can just try and take a bunch off a quarterback’s plate, and it’s like, ‘Sure, let’s make it simple for him.’ But I think the more it’s on his plate, and the more that he can understand the bigger picture, he can understand what everyone’s doing and get everyone in the right place.

“So there’ll be certain times where, like, we all want to work together, right? But that’s an important position. You got to have that position figured out. And from everything I’ve heard, they do here, so I’m excited to get to work with him.”

Antonio Gibson played with Maye last season and said he’s already seen a “big difference” in him this spring, though the running back acknowledged that the Patriots are taking it slow early in the offseason workout program. Gibson observed Maye sitting back, watching and learning after getting drafted last season. Now the 22-year-old quarterback is being more vocal.

“He seems comfortable,” Gibson said. “He’s being himself, funny, goofy, smart, being a leader and things of that nature. So it’s still early, but I’m super excited to see what he brings to the table this year. …

“Just the confidence, I seen after last year, like him getting his feet wet and getting his starts and then playing throughout the season, that just builds confidence. And then for him to go with that throughout the offseason, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna come in way much better than he did last year, with the confidence level, the communication and everything he needs to do to be that quarterback, to be the leader of the team.”

It should also help that Maye has better playmakers and more experienced coaches around him this season. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has 20 years of experience coaching quarterbacks and calling plays. The Patriots already added veteran wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins.

The next step is fortifying the offensive line through the draft. They replaced David Andrews with Bradbury at center and signed Morgan Moses to play right tackle. The left side of the line — Maye’s blindside — has yet to be solidified, however. One option to fill a hole at left tackle is to select a top offensive lineman at No. 4 overall in the draft.