UPDATE: With the New England Patriots’ first Super Bowl injury report due Wednesday, concerns surrounding Drake Maye’s throwing shoulder have grown after a second sports medicine physician independently raised injury questions following the AFC Championship Game.
While the team has yet to formally list Maye with an injury, additional analysis and new comments from coach Mike Vrabel have fueled questions about his availability and effectiveness heading into Super Bowl 60.
Dr. Jesse Morse, a Florida-based sports medicine specialist who regularly comments on NFL injuries, said that his review of game footage indicated a “right shoulder injury.” Morse’s view is not an official diagnosis.
“Most likely possibilities: posterior capsular sprain or superior/posterior labral tear,” Morse wrote on his social media account. “I think he got lucky, and it’s likely a sprain especially since he threw a dime two plays later to Mack Hollins. Is he sore? Yes. Did he significantly dislocate his shoulder? No, unlikely.”
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel also did little to dispel concerns over Maye’s status when he declined to directly answer a question about whether or not the quarterback was injured in a radio interview Tuesday morning.
“The answer to this being anything other than ‘No, Drake Maye doesn’t have a shoulder injury’ is a bit concerning,” wrote Boston Herald reporter Zack Cox on his own X (formerly Twitter) account.
Below is the original reporting from Monday night.
Maye, the New England Patriots 23-year-old quarterback, is set to become the second-youngest QB to start a Super Bowl, thanks to his team’s grueling 10-7 win in the snow over the Denver Broncos in Sunday’s AFC Championship game — and if the Patriots win Super Bowl 60, Maye becomes the youngest-ever to accomplish that feat.
But will he get the chance? The Patriots, and Maye himself, have said nothing about it, but a leading sports medicine physician who is founder of Sports Injury Central — a site that monitors primarily football injuries — says that Maye is now dealing with some sort of injury to his throwing shoulder.
“Drake Maye injured his right throwing shoulder against the Broncos. How severe the injury is, and the exact diagnosis, remains to be determined,” wrote Dr. David J. Chao on his social media account Monday. “Heading into Super Bowl LX, I’m far more concerned about Maye’s shoulder than Sam Darnold’s oblique.”
Darnold, starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks — the Patriots’ opponent in Super Bowl 60 — has been dealing with an oblique injury but started Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams and led Seattle to a 31-27 victory while throwing for three touchdowns and 346 yards.
Accuracy of Doctor’s Report Remains TBD
“Maye was injured on a scramble midway through the third quarter when protection broke down and he leaked out to his left. He was tackled as he landed on his right elbow and across his body, immediately grabbing at his right shoulder after the play before returning to the huddle,” according to a lengthier write-up of the Maye injury claim on the Sports Injury Central site. “The following snap was a handoff, and Maye was seen working out his shoulder between plays.”
Chao also pointed to Maye’s behavior following the game to substantiate his injury allegation — in particular a video showing Maye’s wife, Ann Michael Maye, tapping him on the shoulder during postgame celebrations on the field, as Maye appeared to wince slightly
“Look at his face after being tapped on shoulder,” Chao wrote.
Maye Refers to ‘Bumps and Bruises’
Chao cited the fact that Maye, in his postgame press conference, admitted to experiencing “some bumps and bruises, but that’s what it takes.”
The Sports Injury Central report also asserted that, “Maye was seen jogging to the locker room while favoring his right shoulder and not swinging his arm normally. During his press conference, he appeared to protect the shoulder, using his left arm more prominently and supporting himself on the podium while the right shoulder sat noticeably lower.”
Chao claimed, via the SIC site, that there was “little doubt Maye sustained a right shoulder injury, with further evaluation needed to determine whether it is an AC joint sprain or a posterior capsular sprain.”
But as of Monday night, there remains no confirmation of any notable injuries to the sophomore quarterback, who currently has the second-best odds to win the NFL MVP award (+105) according to The Athletic. Los Angeles Rams 37-year-old QB Matthew Stafford stands as the favorite (-135), per DraftKings Sportsbook.
Injury Report Due Wednesday
The Patriots will issue their first injury report of the two-week period leading up to the Super Bowl on Wednesday. If Chao’s report is accurate, Maye’s name should appear on that report. If the 2024 No. 3 overall draft pick does not turn up on Wednesday’s report, Patriots fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
The youngest QB ever to start a Super Bowl was Dan Marino, whose Miami Dolphins faced the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 19 on January 20, 1985. But Marino, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Dolphins lost 38-16. Marino was 23 years, 127 days old when he started the game — 35 days younger than Maye will be on February 8.
The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ Ben Roethlisberger, at age 23 years and 340 days, remains the youngest QB ever to win a Super Bowl, beating the Seahawks 21-10 on February 5, 2006.
The Patriots are not required to issue a formal injury designation for Maye until later in the week, but Wednesday’s report will be the first official indication of whether the team shares concerns raised externally.
Patriots Await Drake Maye Injury Update as Second Sports Doc Raises Concern