The Drake Maye vs. Jordan Love debate just got another log tossed on the fire-and this time, it didn’t come from a studio analyst or former NFL quarterback. It came from a college locker room, courtesy of VMI tight end Kaden Sonnabend.
Fresh off New England’s 29-13 Super Bowl loss to Seattle, Sonnabend didn’t hold back on social media. He shared a post that read, “Jordan Love > Drake Maye.
Argue with a wall,” and added his own two cents: “Yeah don’t ever tell me drake maye is better than J love. My 10 is better 😂🤷🏾♂️” That “My 10” shoutout?
A nod to Love’s jersey number in Green Bay. And while it’s just one player’s opinion, the timing couldn’t have hit harder for Maye fans still processing Sunday’s Super Bowl heartbreak.
Maye’s post-game press conference was raw. The 23-year-old quarterback, who had just led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl appearance in years, looked every bit the part of a young leader carrying the weight of a tough loss. His voice cracked as he spoke about the team and the pain he played through-revealing he’d taken a painkiller shot in his throwing shoulder before kickoff.
The numbers from his postseason tell a story that’s tough to defend: six touchdowns, four interceptions, seven fumbles, and 21 sacks taken. That’s a brutal stat line, especially on the biggest stage. For a QB who nearly won MVP and helped lift New England from the depths of the AFC East to the Super Bowl, the fall was steep-and very public.
Meanwhile, Jordan Love’s 2025 season quietly built a compelling case of its own. He finished third in the EPA+CPOE composite metric, trailing only Maye and Brock Purdy.
He averaged just over 29 pass attempts per game but made the most of them, posting elite efficiency numbers that had some wondering why Green Bay didn’t put the ball in his hands even more. The Packers may have kept things conservative, but Love’s play didn’t go unnoticed-especially by players like Sonnabend, who clearly saw enough to make his stance known.
It’s worth noting that Sonnabend isn’t some talking head looking for clicks. He’s a tight end at Virginia Military Institute, now playing under new head coach Ashley Ingram.
He’s not breaking down All-22 film on national television-he’s in the trenches, blocking and running routes. His take didn’t come with a film study breakdown or a stat-heavy argument.
It came with conviction, and in today’s football discourse, sometimes that’s all it takes to reignite a debate.
Maye supporters can still hang their hats on what he accomplished this season: a near-MVP campaign, a dramatic turnaround for a Patriots team that had been floundering, and a Super Bowl berth that few saw coming. But Love’s backers have the efficiency metrics, the eye test, and now, a growing chorus of voices asking whether Green Bay’s QB deserves more shine.
In the end, no minds were changed. That’s how these debates go.
But what Sonnabend did-intentionally or not-was remind us that quarterback discussions don’t end with the final whistle. They simmer in the offseason, waiting for the next big moment-or the next crushing loss-to bring them roaring back to life.
Drake Maye now has seven months to sit with this one, to figure out what went wrong in Santa Clara and how to come back stronger. Jordan Love enters 2026 with a different kind of challenge: proving to the Packers that he’s ready for more responsibility, more volume, and more spotlight.
And somewhere in Lexington, Virginia, a college tight end just made sure we’re all still talking about it.