The Patriots are heading back to the Super Bowl, but their young quarterback Drake Maye is dealing with more than just the pressure of the big stage. As New England prepares for a showdown with the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, Maye missed Friday’s practice-not because of his shoulder, but due to an illness that’s been circulating through the locker room.
Maye had already been listed on the injury report earlier in the week with a shoulder issue, despite the team not holding a full practice that day. He was marked as a limited participant, which raised some eyebrows.
On Thursday, he did throw in a limited capacity. But by Friday, he was sidelined again-this time, not by the shoulder, but by a bug that’s been making its rounds among the team.
Head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed the illness during Friday’s press conference, downplaying any long-term concern. “No,” Vrabel said when asked if there was anything more to worry about.
“We’ve had a lot of guys over the last month, or six weeks, here with an illness. Trying to do what’s best for the player and the team.
Don’t spread anything.”
Vrabel added that Maye would’ve practiced if not for the illness, and emphasized that the team is being cautious-especially with the Super Bowl just around the corner.
Maye himself spoke on Thursday about the shoulder and his mindset heading into the biggest game of his career. “This is the game you dream of playing,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to getting out there and playing in the Super Bowl.”
He acknowledged the grind of a long season and said he’s doing everything he can to get back to full strength. “I do whatever I can to feel 100 percent.
I’m sure I’ll get, if not there, as close as you can-99 percent. Make sure I’m throwing and do whatever I can to help the team win.”
That kind of mentality is exactly what’s carried Maye and the Patriots to this point. Just days ago, in a snowy, hard-fought AFC Championship against the Denver Broncos, Maye delivered the defining play of the game.
With New England clinging to a 10-7 lead late in the fourth quarter and facing a critical third-and-5, Maye faked a handoff and rolled out left. He had just one defender to beat-Denver linebacker Jonah Elliss-and made the kind of play that separates good quarterbacks from great ones.
Maye slipped past Elliss, picked up the first down, and iced the game. It was the kind of heads-up, clutch moment that earned him the trust of his teammates and punched New England’s ticket to the Super Bowl for the first time since the Brady-Belichick era.
If that play doesn’t work? The Patriots are punting, and they’re asking their defense to hold off a final drive from Broncos backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Instead, Maye took control, made the play, and sent a message: this team is ready for the big stage again.
Now, with just over a week until kickoff at Levi’s Stadium, all eyes are on Maye’s health. The illness seems to be a short-term setback, and the shoulder doesn’t appear to be limiting him significantly. The Patriots are playing it smart, giving their young star the time and space to get right.
Because come February 8th, they’ll need him at his best. And if that third-down scramble in the AFC title game was any indication, Drake Maye is built for these moments.