Drake Maye’s shoulder injury improves ahead of Super Bowl showdown

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Drake Maye said the shoulder injury that limited him in practice last week has improved enough that he had a normal workout on his first full day in the Bay Area for the Super Bowl.

Maye was unable to practice fully last week for the New England Patriots after injuring his throwing shoulder on a scramble in the AFC championship game win against the Denver Broncos.

But Maye said he had no limitations on Monday as the team prepares to face the Seattle Seahawks.

“I threw a good bit,” Maye said. “I threw as much as I would in a practice, and it felt great.”

Maye said he will be fine for the game, which will come as a relief to Patriots fans counting on their second-year quarterback.

Maye had a breakthrough season in 2025, earning second-team All-Pro honors and being named a finalist for both the AP NFL MVP award and the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Maye led the NFL with a 113.5 passer rating, a 72% completion rate and an average of 8.9 yards per attempt. Maye threw for 4,394 yards with 31 TD passes in the regular season.

But he hasn’t been nearly as productive in the postseason, throwing for just 533 yards and turning the ball over five times in three playoff wins for the Patriots to reach the Super Bowl.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has no concerns about how his quarterback will perform on Sunday when he will try to become the youngest starting quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl. Maye will be 23 years, 162 days old on game day — 178 days younger than Ben Roethlisberger when he won it all 20 years ago.

“He’ll be fine,” McDaniels said. “He’s good.”

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