Drake Maye Misses Final Patriots Practice Before Super Bowl Trip, But Signals He's Ready to Go
FOXBORO, Mass. - With just over a week to go before the biggest game of the year, the Patriots wrapped up their final practice in Foxboro before heading west for the Super Bowl. But one very important piece was missing: starting quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye sat out Friday’s session due to a combination of illness and a right shoulder injury, according to head coach Mike Vrabel. It’s the same shoulder Maye injured during the AFC Championship win in Denver last Sunday - and while the team isn’t sounding the alarm just yet, his absence is certainly notable.
This marks the first time all season that Maye has missed a full practice. On Thursday, he was listed as a limited participant, and Vrabel confirmed that Maye didn’t take his full complement of reps.
“However you would label limited, that’s how much he practiced,” Vrabel explained. “It wasn’t full, and if it’s not full, it has to be down as limited. I don’t know what percentage of the normal work, but it’s pretty clear that if you’re not taking the normal reps you would normally take, you’re limited.”
The Patriots used Thursday and Friday to install the bulk of their game plan, focusing on first, second, and third down packages. With Maye sidelined Friday and limited the day before, his reps in those crucial prep sessions were clearly impacted. The red zone installation is still to come - and that’s where timing and precision with your quarterback really matter.
Still, Vrabel downplayed any suggestion that Maye’s condition had worsened, saying the shoulder responded “favorably” after Thursday’s work.
Maye echoed that sentiment, sounding optimistic after Thursday’s practice.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “I got out there, moving around a good bit.
I was able to do some of the jog-through, so I’m feeling good. I’m looking forward to being ready to go.
This is the game you dream of playing in, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and getting a chance to play in the Super Bowl.”
The team now turns its attention to the West Coast, with the next practice scheduled for Wednesday at Stanford University. That’s when eyes will be on Maye again. If he’s still not on the field by then, the level of concern - both inside and outside the building - will likely rise.
For now, though, the Patriots are treating this as a bump in the road, not a roadblock. But there’s no sugarcoating it: when your franchise quarterback is dealing with a shoulder issue nine days before the Super Bowl, it’s going to be a storyline - and one worth watching closely.