Patriots' Drake Maye Could Join Tom Brady in Making Super Bowl History

In only his second season, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye helped transform his team’s offense — taking the unit from one of the worst in the NFL in 2024, to a potentially explosive unit competing for a Super Bowl championship.

As he stands on the threshold of leading his team into Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. for a Super Bowl LX showdown with the Seattle Seahawks, he has the chance to accomplish a feat which has eluded all first-time playoff quarterbacks since 2001.

In addition to helping secure the franchise’s would-be NFL-record seventh Lombardi Trophy, Maye will be vying to become the first quarterback since Patriots legend Tom Brady in 2001 to win a Super Bowl the same season he made his first career playoff start.

Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow (2021), San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo (2019), Colin Kaepernick (2012) also of the Niners, and Jake Delhomme (2003) of the Carolina Panthers all lost in similar spots, as noted by The 33rd Team.

Maye is also about to join Dan Marino (1984) of the Miami Dolphins and Ben Roethlisberger (2005) of the Pittsburgh Steelers as the only quarterbacks to start the Super Bowl before their 24th birthday. At 23 years and 162 days old, a victory in Super Bowl LX would make him the youngest starting quarterback to win the title.

Drake Maye’s Second-Year Development has been Impressive

Jan 25, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) holds the AFC Championship trophy while speaking to the media after defeating the Denver Broncos in the 2026 AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Though several Patriots players have significantly contributed to their streak of success, the one constant throughout the season has been Maye. The third overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft compiled 4,394 passing yards and 31 touchdowns to just eight interceptions — helping to lead the Patriots to a 14-3 record and their first postseason appearance since 2021. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Maye was also earning deserved mentions as a strong candidate for NFL MVP.

In three playoff appearances with the Pats to date, the 23-year-old UNC product has completed 43-of-77 passes (55.8%) with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also run for 141 yards on 24 carries with one rushing touchdown. Despite some postseason struggles, his poise and big-play ability have more than validated the faith shown to him by head coach Mike Vrabel as the Patriots’ coaching staff.

For Maye to add his name alongside Brady’s in Super Bowl folklore would be the ultimate compliment. Brady (along with team owner Robert Kraft and former coach Bill Belichick) helped to shape New England from a competitive organization to one of professional sports' elite franchises.

As such, his place among the top of the NFL pantheon has been firmly established. In addition to his role in helping the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, Brady finished his career with regular-season totals of 12,050 pass attempts for 7,753 completions (64.3 percent), 89,214 passing yards, 649 touchdowns and 212 interceptions.

Brady also dominated the postseason, where he compiled a record of 35-13, as well as a quarterback rating of 89.8. He completed 62.5 percent of his postseason passes for 13,400 yards, 88 passing touchdowns and 40 interceptions. Brady won seven of the ten Super Bowls in which he played, earning the big game’s MVP five times.

In terms of team accolades, Brady was an early inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame, while also having his iconic number 12 retired. He also holds the unique distinction of having a bronze statue to honor him in the plaza adjacent to Gillette Stadium.

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