Drake Maye has already made plenty of changes in pursuit of becoming one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. One habit, however, dates back long before he arrived in New England.
The Patriots quarterback revealed in a wide-ranging interview with Men’s Health that he rarely drinks alcohol, a personal choice influenced by his family and one that has occasionally left him on the receiving end of jokes from teammates and friends.
Maye said he drinks fewer than five times in a typical year, with an occasional piña colada on the beach among the exceptions.
For the 24-year-old, the decision isn’t about making a statement. It’s simply become part of the way he lives and, increasingly, how he approaches a career that has already taken him within one win of a Super Bowl championship.
Drake Maye Explains Why He Rarely Drinks Alcohol
Maye traced the habit back to the people he looked up to most growing up.
His father, Mark, didn’t drink, nor did older brothers Luke and Beau. Maye said following their example eventually became natural for him.
“It started from my dad, really. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him take a sip of alcohol,” Maye said. “My brother Luke didn’t drink growing up. My brother Bo doesn’t drink. It’s something where I just followed people that I really admired.”
That continued when Maye went to North Carolina.
College can present no shortage of opportunities to drink, particularly for athletes surrounded by teammates and friends. Maye acknowledged there were times when his decision made him the odd man out.
“People always joke about, you know, ‘Man, you’re not one of the boys,'” Maye told Men’s Health. “And sure, I may have missed some of those nights with some teammates, or some college buddies. But at the end of the day, I think, you know, it wasn’t worth it for me.”
Maye isn’t completely abstinent. He said he’ll occasionally have a piña colada at the beach, but estimated that he drinks fewer than five times per year.
More importantly, he explained that alcohol simply isn’t something he particularly enjoys.
“The taste of beer, it really wasn’t for me,” Maye said.
Maye also pointed to the physical toll of drinking and the recovery required afterward as part of his thinking. With a career built around keeping his body and mind prepared to play quarterback at the highest level, he views it as something that can get in the way of what he’s working toward.
Maye Continues Changing His Life Away From Football
The alcohol revelation fits into a much broader transformation Maye discussed with Men’s Health.
Since entering the NFL, Maye has worked to improve his diet, sleep and recovery habits. Veterans Hunter Henry and Morgan Moses have even pushed him to make better nutritional choices after noticing some of the eating habits he carried with him from college.
Maye has also credited his wife, Ann Michael Maye, with helping him establish a healthier routine. The couple, who have known each other since middle school, married in 2025 and now live near Gillette Stadium.
Those changes come as the expectations around Maye continue to climb.
He finished runner-up for NFL MVP in 2025 after throwing for 4,394 yards and helping lead New England to Super Bowl LX. Now in Year 3, Maye is trying to build on that breakthrough rather than simply repeat it.
That makes his comments about drinking more revealing than the number itself.
Maye isn’t arguing that everyone needs to make the same choices he does. He’s explaining one of his own, a habit picked up from his family that survived college, the NFL and some good-natured ribbing along the way.
And if he’s on a beach with a piña colada in his hand every once in a while?
Apparently, that’s the exception he’s willing to make.
Drake Maye Reveals Lifestyle Choice Teammates Have ‘Flamed’ Him For