Is Drake Maye's Shoulder Actually Bothering Him? Patriots QB Gives His Thoughts

FOXBORO — Drake Maye suffered a shoulder injury in last year's AFC championship game, and it dominated Super Bowl headlines.

As you know now, Maye didn't look good in the New England Patriots' 29-13 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks last February. But he's also gotten off to a bad start to the 2026 season seven months later. Is that shoulder injury — one he downplayed at the time — still bothering him?

Well, he did get added to the Patriots initial injury report for Week 4 with a right shoulder injury. He was listed as a full participant and took all the starting reps at quarterback, but to see his name pop up on the list for the first time all season is, in fact, eye-opening.

Maye's 2026 season hasn't been good by any stretch of the imagination.

2026 Hasn't Been Kind To Maye So Far

Through three games, he's thrown one touchdown (a two-yarder to Eli Raridon in the season opener) and six interceptions. Tack on a lost fumble in their Week 3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Maye's seven turnovers are tops in the entire league.

This is not the Maye we saw lead his team to the playoffs a season ago. So it has to be the shoulder, right? Maye was asked about if it's impacting how he's throwing the ball on Wednesday.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) is pressured during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"No, it hasn’t," he said matter of factly. "I don’t think it impacts my decision-making, and that’s what makes and breaks play for quarterbacks. I don’t feel like we’re struggling to move the ball. I think we’re turning the football over, doing things that are preventing us from scoring touchdowns, and I think that’s one of the biggest things for me.

"I think we’ve had a history of good football when we don’t turn the football over, playing good football and finding ourselves on the right side of games. So, that’s the biggest thing, and I’m looking forward to another good week of practice. I felt good out there today."

Appears His Injury Isn't A Major Concern

On Monday, head coach Mike Vrabel was asked a similar question on if he's aware of a lingering issue on Maye's health.

"No, I’m not. I think when you go through an NFL game like that, especially as a quarterback, and you get hit, and again, there was not, to my knowledge, anything that would have put him on the injury report or any sort of treatment," Vrabel said. "I think every player has normal maintenance and prehab that they go through as a warm-up routine. That’s not anything that I would even consider. But I know as you go through a game, I’m sure you get hit. I’m sure things will happen. But I don’t anticipate that being any issue going forward."

Takeaway? Fair. I'm not one to share if Maye's shoulder is actually hurting him or not. But the fact that this conversation is happening in a season where the Patriots should have looked a lot better is conerning.

A healthy Drake Maye can easily be a top quarterback in this league. The 24-year-old has all the talent in the world to win football games, and his moxie doesn't hurt either. And yet, he just hasn't looked like himself these few games.

There have been drives where the Patriots offense moves the ball, but a costly turnover from Maye pushes them backwards. There's a disconnect somewhere (maybe it is just the shoulder) and the Patriots will need to try and find a way to get him back on track.

"There are reps in the game, and there are ones that cost you," Maye said. "It happens to be that you’ve got to outweigh the good with the bad by a wide margin to play well at this position, and that’s quarterback. I’m feeling good throwing, and I feel like I have some throws I wish I had back, as I always do, and definitely some decisions. But at the same time, I’ve got to trust my guys and trust the guys up front — they’re doing a nice job — to keep on playing football."

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