Patriots' Drake Maye Reveals Details of Injury After Super Bowl

FOXBOROUGH, MA. — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was the center of much attention surrounding the health of his throwing shoulder heading into the team’s Super Bowl LX showdown with the Seattle Seahawks.

As the dust settles on their 29-13 loss at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif, Maye is providing further clarification on the extent of his injury, as well as his recuperation plan for the offseason.

While speaking with reporters before clearing his locker for the last time this season, Maye revealed, via Patriots Media, that he did indeed injure his shoulder during the Patriots’ AFC championship game victory over the Denver Broncos. Though he remained coy on the extent to which the injury affected his game play during Super Bowl LX, the 23-year-old did inform Patriots Nation that he will not require surgery, and plans to heal it through rest.

"Time is the best healer,” Maye said. “Just need time off. Nothing that needs anything to be done ... Just need time to rest and time away from football."

Speculation surrounding Maye’s shoulder began to swirl less than 24 hours removed from the Patriots’ conference title victory over the Broncos. Sports physician Dr. David Chao, per a recent media appearance, believes that the Pats’ QB injured his throwing shoulder in the third quarter, prior to the flea-flicker pass play to Mack Hollins. Chao notes that Maye was slow to get up after being hit, while also demonstrating signs of discomfort when tapped on his shoulder pads in congratulations from his wife, Ann Michael Maye.

Maye finished the game without missing any time, and did not look particularly bothered by his shoulder or any other injuries during and after the contest. He completed his longest pass of the day, a 31-yarder to Mack Hollins, two plays after the scramble in question and was quick to pop up again following a sack in the fourth quarter that saw him land on that very same right shoulder.

Drake Maye Shoulder Injury Likely Affected Game Play in Super Bowl LX

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) exits the field after the loss against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Though Maye was a limited participant in New England’s first practice in advance of Super Bowl week, he was conspicuously absent from the media portion of their second session — causing more than a mild stir throughout Patriots Nation. Though many entered Super Bowl week with notable concern that he would continue to be limited in his practicing throughout the week, any lingering qualms were seemingly put to rest when Maye’s name was removed from the injury report two days prior to kickoff.

To say that Maye struggled during Super Bowl LX may be an understatement. He was pressured on 52.8% of his dropbacks according to Next Gen Stats, the second-highest rate this season. Though the Patriots seemed caught off-guard by Seattle's blitzes, while struggling to hold up even when the Seahawks sent just four rushers, Maye also struggled with his decision-making in the face of Seattle’s defensive onslaught.

In the game’s aftermath, Maye shared additional details regarding his injury. The 2025 MVP finalist admitted to reporters that he received a pain-killing injection prior to kickoff.

"My shoulder feels - um, they shot it up, so not much feeling," Maye said postgame. "Felt good to go. I felt alright."

With the season now in the annals of Patriots history, Maye heads for an offseason of rest, recuperation and improvement as he leads the team in its defense of their respective AFC and AFC East titles.

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