The first New England Patriot quarterback to play in the Super Bowl since Tom Brady
Drake Maye will lead the New England Patriots into Super Bowl 60, where they face the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara.
He has emerged as one of the NFL’s brightest young talents, guiding the New England Patriots to their first Super Bowl appearance since Tom Brady’s departure.
At just 23 years of age, the quarterback becomes only the second-youngest signal-caller to start American football’s showpiece event, with Dan Marino the sole player to have done so at a younger age.
Selected by New England with the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, he made an immediate impact, earning Pro Bowl recognition in both his first and second seasons.
This season, he finished narrowly behind Los Angeles Rams signal-caller Matthew Stafford in the MVP voting, with just five points separating the pair.
Maye topped the league in both passer rating at 113.5 and completion percentage at 71.9 per cent during the regular season.
A victory would place Maye in an exclusive club alongside Brady, who remains the only quarterback in over two decades to lift the Lombardi Trophy during a season that also marked his postseason debut.
Several prominent quarterbacks have fallen short when facing identical circumstances.
Drake Maye has emerged as one of the NFL’s brightest young talents
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Joe Burrow came up short with Cincinnati in 2021, while Jimmy Garoppolo suffered defeat with San Francisco in 2019.
Colin Kaepernick experienced the same fate in 2012, as did Jake Delhomme with Carolina in 2003.
Maye’s father, Mark, played quarterback at UNC, whilst brothers, Luke and Beau, represented the university in basketball.
Another sibling, Cole, claimed a baseball national championship with Florida.
Drake Maye was selected by New England with the third overall pick in the 2024 draft
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He married his childhood sweetheart, Ann Michael, in June 2025, having first met in school.
The 22-year-old has become something of a celebrity herself, with Patriots supporters dubbing her the “Queen of the North” following the success of her viral TikTok baking series.
Despite speculation about his physical condition and a challenging performance in the snowy AFC Championship victory over Denver, Maye has dismissed concerns about his fitness.
The Patriots finished the 2025 season 14-3, their best record in years.
Drake Maye married his childhood sweetheart, Ann Michael, in June 2025, having first met in school
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In the 2025 regular season, Maye set a Patriots franchise record with a 91.3 per cent completion rate in a single game, surpassing Tom Brady’s best mark.
He is the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat three top-five defences in a single postseason on the way to the Super Bowl.
In 2024, Maye became the first quarterback since 1973 to have his first 10 passing touchdowns go to 10 different receivers.
