New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s shoulder injury has been an issue since last week, but Maye had an update on Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday.
“I threw a good bit,” Maye told reporters. “I threw as much as I would in a practice and felt great. I’m looking forward to getting back out there on Wednesday and Thursday for practice again.”
Maye appeared on the injury report on Jan. 30, and he was listed as not practicing that day due to the shoulder and an illness. The second-year quarterback was officially listed as questionable for the Super Bowl based on the first week of injury reports, but Maye’s statement on Monday holds promise that he will be ready to go against the Seattle Seahawks.
Maye likewise made that point during the main stage part of the night when he shared the spotlight with Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. Maye said he’s “feeling great” and “100%.”
The former North Carolina standout and former No. 3 pick will make his Super Bowl debut on Sunday.
Drake Maye: ‘I Turned a Corner’
Getting to the Bay Area for the game only helped Maye amid recovery from the shoulder injury.
“I turned a corner landing on the flight [to San Francisco on Sunday],” Maye said. “I felt good from the flight and throwing out there today, I think it turned the corner, and I really had no doubt being 100% for the game, this is the Super Bowl. We get two weeks to prepare for it and do whatever we got to do to get it right. I’ve got confidence and feel good.”
Maye has been a big part of the Patriots making it this far with an MVP-like performance for the 2025 season. He completed 72% of his passes for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdown passes versus eight interceptions. In the playoffs, Maye has completed 55.8% of his passes for 533 yards and four touchdowns versus two picks.
Mike Vrabel Doubles Down on Drake Maye’s Shoulder
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel likewise isn’t concerned about Maye’s shoulder, which the coach emphasized the week before, too.
“I think I tried to say this as clearly as I could last week. If he were to practice, he would have been limited on Friday,” Vrabel told WEEI on Monday. “He was not able to practice because of the illness.”
“So again, we’ll work through these things through the week, just like everybody else does,” Vrabel continued. “But we’re confident that the preparation that’s required for each position on our football team will be there by the end of the week, and everybody will be available.”
The Patriots will need all hands on deck offensively against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl since Seattle boasts the league’s top-ranked defense. Seattle recently shut down the San Francisco 49ers twice, but needed the offense to outduel the Los Angeles Rams and a red-hot quarterback in Matthew Stafford for the NFC Championship Game.
New England can put up points, but the Patriots had challenges offensively against a top-tier Denver Broncos defense in the AFC Championship game. However, the Patriots picked apart a tough Houston Texans defense the week before after the Texans came into Foxboro confident after shutting down the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Patriots’ Drake Maye Offers Injury Update Before Super Bowl