SANTA CLARA — Ten years ago, Drake Maye was just another wide-eyed fan in a sea of Carolina teal.
Maye soaked in Super Bowl 50 from the stands at Levi’s Stadium, watching his hometown Carolina Panthers duel with the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos.
On Sunday, he’ll walk into the same stadium not as a spectator but as the quarterback tasked with leading the New England Patriots onto the sport’s grandest stage for Super Bowl 60.
As a teenager, Maye watched the Panthers chase a title, unaware that a decade later he’d be the one under center with Patriots’ hopes resting in his arms. Now, as the face of the Patriots’ new era, Maye has turned his childhood awe into reality as he guides New England to its 12th Super Bowl appearance in the same building where his own NFL dreams began.
“It’s a full-circle moment, I think that’s the biggest thing,” Maye said on Monday. “I’m just so thankful for my dad to be able to take me to a Super Bowl. I don’t take that for granted, not every kid gets to experience that. I was able to watch my favorite team at the time and I got to see Peyton Manning’s last game – what a cool experience that was.
“And now to be here and playing in one myself, I don’t take that for granted. I’m just going to try to enjoy it, enjoy it with my teammates. Enjoy with everyone who helped get me here and I’m going to try and win it.”
Maye comes from a family of athletes.
The youngest of four brothers, Maye and his siblings made their mark as high-level athletes growing up in North Carolina. Two of his brothers, Luke and Beau, played basketball at the University of North Carolina while another brother, Cole, was a pitcher at the University of Florida, which won the College World Series in 2017.
Maye’s fandom for the Panthers started early as he watched the great run of Carolina teams led by quarterback Cam Newton and coach Ron Rivera.
According to The Athletic, prior to the 2015 season, Maye wagered his dad that if the Panthers made the Super Bowl that he would take him to Santa Clara to watch Super Bowl 50. Mark Maye took on that bet as the Panthers were a middling franchise the year prior.
Just a few months later, Maye was in the stands at Levi’s Stadium cheering on his favorite team. Maye said he remembers how great it was to see Manning’s last game and experience the country’s biggest sporting event.
“That was pretty special to say I was there and to watch him win a Super Bowl and knowing the environment of being here at the Super Bowl and big event and what a big time thing it is,” Maye said.
Behind a MVP-caliber sophomore season, Maye has led the Patriots to an unexpected run to the Super Bowl. He has thrown for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns en route to leading New England to a 14-3 regular season record.
His ability to scramble out of the pocket and make plays is what Patriots’ coach Mike Vrabel believes makes Maye a special player.
“I think he’s extremely talented. I think he plays the position athletically and it allows him to be accurate with the football, whether that’s in the pocket or extending plays,” Vrabel said on Tuesday. “He’s a competitor. He is always trying to learn and continues to build and develop as a leader. So I think his success and his performance is a large part of why we’re here.”
On Sunday, Maye will most certainly be the focal point for the vaunted Seattle Seahawks defense. Seattle ranks in the Top 10 in nearly every defensive category and has a secondary that boasts the likes of Devon Witherspoon, Tariq Woolen, Julian Love and Coby Bryant.
Maye’s dual-threat abilities will be the Seahawks’ biggest challenge on Sunday.
“He’s a bonafide runner. I think he’s one of the best running quarterbacks in the league” Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. “But then you also got to count that he can throw the rock. He can make all the right throws. Drake’s an impressive guy, man, we got our hands full for sure.”
Ten years after watching in awe from the stands, Maye will now step onto the Levi’s Stadium turf as the centerpiece of the Patriots’ resurgence, carrying the weight of New England’s storied legacy while forging his own path.
What began as a wide-eyed fan’s dream has evolved into the ultimate responsibility: delivering a storied franchise its seventh Lombardi Trophy.
Yet amid the pressure, Maye’s poise and work ethic stand out as the foundation of this improbable journey.
“He does so many things for us at a high level that is special and it’s fun to play with a guy like that,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “Just the way he works in the meeting room, in the weight room, off the field – he’s very consistent in who he is and he brings it every single day.”
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