SANTA CLARA — Drake Maye did not wait long to earn a spot on the NFL’s grandest stage.
In only his second season, the New England Patriots’ quarterback led his team to the Super Bowl.
Now Maye, 23, will try to join four other second-year quarterbacks who won Super Bowl titles.
“I’m not too great at my history,” Maye said when asked if he knew the other second-year winners. “I know there’s been some young ones.”
Kurt Warner of the Rams, Tom Brady of the Patriots, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks won titles in their second seasons.
Maye correctly identified the player he called “Big Ben.” Apprised that Brady, who won six of his seven Super Bowl titles with the Patriots, also was part of the group, Maye quipped, “Brady, he wasn’t a bad one either.”
On Sunday, Maye will lead the Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
It’s a “full-circle” moment, said Maye, who attended Super Bowl Bowl L at Levi’s Stadium with his father in 2016.
The Patriots are seeking their first title since the 2018 season, when they defeated the Rams in Super Bowl LII in Atlanta.
“The thing that makes it so special for me, at such a young age, is to cherish such a moment,” Maye said.
Maye has been nursing a right shoulder injury but he said he would be “just fine” for Sunday when the Patriots go against the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense.
Maye is in the Super Bowl after making a huge leap from his rookie season.
The Patriots selected the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Maye out of North Carolina with the third pick in the 2024 draft. Under first-year coach Jerod Mayo, Maye passed for 15 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions, and rushed for 421 yards and two touchdowns for a team that finished 4-13.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye speaks during a news conference on Monday.
(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
Patriots owner Robert Kraft fired Mayo after the season and replaced him with Mike Vrabel, a former Patriots linebacker who won three Super Bowls with the team as a player and coached the Tennessee Titans to three playoff appearances in six seasons from 2018 to 2023.
Vrabel brought back Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator for three Patriots Super Bowl championship teams, and Maye flourished.
“Give a lot of credit to the people around me,” Maye said. “Coaches, players, new teammates, another year with people I did play with, and just finding confidence in myself.”
Maye completed a league-high and franchise-record 72% of his passes, 31 for touchdowns, with eight interceptions. He also rushed for 450 yards and four touchdowns while leading the Patriots to a 14-3 record and the AFC East title.
Maye is a finalist for NFL most valuable player and for offensive player of the year.
“It all starts with talent,” Vrabel said of Maye, adding, “He plays the position athletically, and that allows him to be accurate with the football, whether that’s in the pocket or extending plays. He … continues to build and develop as a leader, so his success and his performance is a large part of why we’re here.”
Receiver Kayshon Boutte concurred.
“It’s pretty much as simple as that,” he said.
The 2020 season that Cam Newton played for the Patriots provided “useful” material for designing an offense that took advantage of Maye’s mobility, McDaniels said. Maye’s ability to learn quickly and not repeat mistakes has helped him thrive.
“We’ve added a lot this year,” McDaniels said, “and I still think we’re just scratching the surface of where this is going.”
Receiver Stefon Diggs is Maye’s favorite target. The 11th-year pro caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns.
“To be that young and be that mature and be able to play at a high level is something I always wanted as a young player,” Diggs said. “He’s cool with all his teammates. … If you play football, you know. He has that quarterback mindset, that quarterback energy.
“Yeah, he’s cool.”
Tight end Hunter Henry said Maye embodies consistency as a person and a player.
“He’s got a routine, he works really hard, he wants to be great,” said Henry, a 10th-year pro. “He’s never really satisfied. He just wants to continue to improve.”
Maye helped lead the Patriots to playoff victories over the Chargers and the Houston Texans before defeating the Denver Broncos, 10-7, in the AFC championship game.
Containing Maye in the pocket will be a challenge, Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV said.
“Man, he can flat out run,” Jones said. “Can’t sleep on his speed. … When he gets out of the pocket, he’s running, running, running, and he just throws one.”
Patriots defensive lineman Milton Williams played last season for the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles. Maye and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, he said, are similarly selfless.
“They never take any credit for anything they did even though they’re both special players,” Williams said. “It’s all about the team with those guys, and guys respect that and guys go out there and play hard for ‘em knowing they’re capable of taking games over and winning games in big moments.”
Maye appears ready for the moment. He is not thinking about age or experience going into the biggest game of his life.
“It’s winning the game,” he said, “and enjoying the time with my teammates.”
