Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye: The Nickname Nobody Understands, But Everyone Loves
FOXBOROUGH, MA - Leave it to a locker room full of NFL players to turn a mystery into a movement. After the Patriots rolled to a 33-15 win over the Giants on Monday Night Football, wide receiver Kayshon Boutte said what just about everyone else in New England has been thinking:
“(Does) anybody know what they mean when they be like Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye?” Boutte asked, mic’d up for a behind-the-scenes video.
“What the hell does that mean? They giving him a middle name, I guess.”
And just like that, the enigma of “Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye” lives on - a nickname that’s somehow gone viral without a clear origin, explanation, or even consensus understanding inside the Patriots’ own locker room.
A Nickname Without a Backstory
Try asking around, and you’ll get a whole lot of shrugs. Quarterback Tommy DeVito summed it up best: “I have no clue… I think it’s just something that caught fire on TikTok or whatever.”
That’s the thing about internet culture - sometimes it doesn’t need to make sense. It just needs to stick. And for whatever reason, “Drake Maye” became “Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye,” and now it's everywhere.
Even kicker Andy Borregales, who’s been calling the quarterback “Drake Drake Maye Maye” - yes, double-double - has no idea where it came from.
“It is a nice touch, makes it funny,” Borregales said. “But, you know, I don’t know what it means. I don’t know how it became a thing, why it became a thing, but we love it.”
Vrabel, Hollins, and the Generational Divide
Head coach Mike Vrabel? He only found out about the nickname moments before being asked about it on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”
“I couldn’t even figure out ‘6-7,’ and now it’s Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye-Maye,” Vrabel said, clearly amused. “I don’t know what that really means.”
Wide receiver Mack Hollins, who’s no stranger to TikTok himself, echoed the confusion.
“Guys always say it… I don’t know what that really means,” Hollins said. “Is that a thing?”
Apparently, it is.
From Locker Room Joke to Viral Phenomenon
Rookie left tackle Will Campbell, one of Maye’s closest friends on the team, leaned into the nickname early. He showed up to the Patriots' game against the Bills wearing a t-shirt with an “I ❤️ Drake Maye” message - a nod to the quarterback and the viral moment he’s become.
By the time Campbell crashed Maye’s postgame presser after a 27-14 win over the Jets on Nov. 13, the nickname had already taken on a life of its own.
And if you needed any more validation that the nickname had gone mainstream, Tom Brady - yes, that Tom Brady - used it in a Fox Sports power rankings video. When the GOAT gives something a nod, it’s officially part of the NFL lexicon.
Maye’s Focus Remains on the Big Picture
Despite the social media buzz, Maye has kept his focus where it matters: winning.
“The MVP is obviously one of the big accolades for this league,” Maye said. “But I think at the end of the day, winning the Super Bowl is the biggest thing. I think it’s what kind of makes this league go - is winning the big one.”
That mindset has helped keep the Patriots in first place and on the verge of locking up a playoff spot. And with a Sunday Night Football showdown looming against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens on Dec. 21, Maye’s MVP candidacy is very much alive.
But you won’t hear him campaigning for it.
“I hope people in that locker room,” he said, before correcting himself, “I know a lot of them feel the same way.”
A QB Who’s All In - On and Off the Field
Maye’s teammates see it, too. Borregales called him “humble,” a guy who takes everything in stride and never lets the noise distract him.
“He’s trying to do him, be a blessing,” Borregales said.
That attitude was on full display in the Patriots’ 35-31 loss to the Bills on Dec. 14. The game snapped New England’s 10-game win streak, but one play stood out - and it didn’t come from Maye’s arm.
On TreVeyon Henderson’s 65-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, Maye sprinted ahead of his running back to throw a block downfield. According to Next Gen Stats, he hit 20.58 mph - the fastest speed of his NFL career.
That’s not just hustle. That’s leadership.
“It’s an embodiment of who this locker room is,” said center Garrett Bradbury.
So… What Is “Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye”?
Honestly? Nobody knows. And that’s kind of the point.
Whether it started as a TikTok joke, a locker room bit, or something else entirely, the nickname has become part of the Patriots’ identity this season - a symbol of a young team having fun, rallying around their quarterback, and winning games.
As Hollins put it: “More power to them if it’s helping them, you know?”
So, no, we still don’t know what it means. But if “Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye” keeps playing like this, Patriots fans won’t care. They’ll just keep chanting the name - however many times it takes.