Drake Maye and the New England Patriots were one of the best stories in the NFL this year. In Maye’s second season in the NFL, the young quarterback helped lead his team to the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately for Maye, the Super Bowl matchup against the Seattle Seahawks didn’t go well. After the devastating loss, Maye acknowledged a “significant” problem that affected his performance in the game.
Drake Maye Acknowledges a Hit Impacted His Play
Maye had an incredible regular season for the Patriots. In fact, the North Carolina product even finished second in MVP voting this season, narrowly losing to Matthew Stafford.
However, Maye’s playoff performance, especially in the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl, took a significant dip. Against the Denver Broncos, Maye threw for 86 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Late in the third quarter of that game, Maye took a hit from Talanoa Hufanga and came down awkwardly on his throwing shoulder. Of course, Maye played through the injury, but it seems like it may be more of a bother than initially thought.
According to Patriots insider Mike Reiss, Maye acknowledged the hit was “significant” as it relates to his throwing shoulder.
“As the Patriots noted on the injury report leading into the Super Bowl, Maye was managing it in the 2 weeks leading into the game,” Reiss explained.
Drake Maye acknowledges the hit in the AFC Championship Game as significant as it relates to his right throwing shoulder.
As the Patriots noted on the injury report leading into the Super Bowl, Maye was managing it in the 2 weeks leading into the game.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) February 10, 2026
If Maye had been dealing with an injury rather than preparing for the Super Bowl, it makes sense his performance would have been underwhelming. The good news, though, is that the injury isn’t expected to require surgery.
“No medical procedures needed,” Maye said. “Just some time off before getting started again.”
Drake Maye: No medical procedures needed. Just some time off before getting started again. pic.twitter.com/l06OsAPmuV
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) February 10, 2026
Now, Maye will have the offseason to get healthy and attempt to make a run at a championship next season.
Maye had Incredible 2025 Season Despite a Disappointing End
In 2025, Maye threw for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 72.0% of his passes. PFSN’s QB Impact metric gave Maye an elite 91.1 grade, which ranked second out of 48 qualified passers.
As mentioned above, Maye narrowly missed out on winning the MVP Award after his remarkable season. Maye would have been the first Patriot to win an MVP since Tom Brady in 2017.
The hope now is that the Patriots can reload this offseason and go for another run at a title. 2025 was Mike Vrabel’s first season at the helm in New England, and it certainly seems like the team is on an upward trajectory.
