Drake Maye’s Super Bowl Debut: A Tough Lesson in a League That Doesn’t Wait
Drake Maye just joined a very exclusive club-second-year quarterbacks starting in the Super Bowl. But after a 29-13 loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl 60, that moment of glory quickly turned into a hard reality check.
At just 23 years old, Maye became the second-youngest QB to ever start a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, he’s now also the second-youngest to lose one.
The only other QB to wear that distinction? Dan Marino.
Back in Super Bowl 19, Marino was also 23 when he ran into Joe Montana and the 49ers buzzsaw. That game ended 38-16, and despite Marino’s incredible talent-and an MVP season leading up to it-he never made it back to the big game.
The parallels to Maye are hard to ignore.
Maye’s path to Super Bowl 60 was impressive. He was the MVP runner-up in 2025, leading the Patriots from a 3-14 record the year before to a 14-3 turnaround under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
That kind of leap doesn’t happen without a quarterback playing at an elite level. But as the Seahawks reminded everyone on Sunday, regular-season fireworks don’t always translate to postseason success.
Seattle’s defense came after Maye early and often, sacking him six times and forcing three turnovers-including a pick-six. It was a performance that exposed some of the same issues we saw with Joe Burrow in Super Bowl 56 when the Rams’ pass rush overwhelmed Cincinnati’s protection.
Burrow was sacked seven times that night. Maye wasn’t far behind.
And like Burrow, Maye had been dealing with pass protection issues for a while. He led the league in completion percentage (72.0%) and yards per attempt (8.9) in 2025, but he was also sacked 47 times during the regular season.
Add 21 more sacks in four playoff games, and the trend is clear: Maye’s ability to extend plays is a double-edged sword. He buys time, but he also takes hits-lots of them.
This is where things get tricky for New England. Maye is still on his rookie deal, but that window doesn’t stay open forever.
Once the Patriots hand him a long-term extension-as they inevitably will-it’s going to get harder to build a complete roster around him. Just ask the Bengals.
Burrow’s contract limited their flexibility, especially when it came to keeping top-tier weapons on the outside. The Dolphins faced a similar challenge with Marino in the '80s.
He became the highest-paid player in the league, but Miami never found enough balance to get back to the Super Bowl.
Now, that’s not to say Maye’s story is already written. Far from it.
There’s still plenty of time for him to rebound and evolve. But history has a way of repeating itself in this league.
Marino, Burrow, Colin Kaepernick, Brock Purdy-each made it to the Super Bowl in Year 2. None of them won.
Only a few second-year QBs have pulled it off: Kurt Warner with the ’99 Rams, Tom Brady with the ’01 Patriots, Russell Wilson with the 2013 Seahawks, and Ben Roethlisberger with the 2005 Steelers. The difference?
They all played with poise beyond their years-and they had the defenses and coaching to match.
Maye didn’t have that same composure on the game’s biggest stage. And while the Seahawks deserve credit for their relentless pressure and smart game plan, Maye’s decision-making under duress was shaky. He forced throws, held the ball too long, and let the moment get away from him.
There was a lot of buzz going into Super Bowl 60 about whether Maye could channel his inner Brady and kick off a new Patriots dynasty-this time with Vrabel on the sidelines instead of Belichick. But that narrative took a major hit.
The AFC isn’t getting any easier. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Burrow are all still in the mix.
And while Mahomes and Jackson missed the playoffs this season, no one expects that to become the norm.
Maye had a real opportunity to seize the spotlight in their absence. Instead, the Seahawks slammed the door shut.
That’s not to say this was one of the worst Super Bowl performances by a QB, but it was certainly a reminder of how steep the climb can be. The postseason is a different animal.
Just ask Allen and Jackson-two MVPs who’ve yet to reach the Super Bowl. Or Aaron Rodgers, who’s still chasing a second ring.
Or Cam Newton and Matt Ryan, who saw their windows close after just one shot.
The Patriots have reason to believe they’ll be back. They’ve got a promising young quarterback, a coach who knows how to win, and a roster that made a massive leap in one season.
But nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. The margin between dynasty and disappointment is razor-thin.
Drake Maye has time. But so did Marino.
So does Burrow. The AFC is stacked, and the path to a championship is unforgiving.
Super Bowl 60 was a moment of arrival for Maye-but also a wake-up call. If he’s going to take that next step, it won’t be just about stats or highlights. It’ll be about growth, resilience, and learning how to win when everything’s on the line.