New England Patriots
Maye would’ve practiced had he not been dealing with the illness, Mike Vrabel said.
Drake Maye’s shoulder injury caused him to be limited at Thursday’s practice. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
January 30, 2026 | 2:06 PM
2 minutes to read
Drake Maye wasn’t at the Patriots’ final practice of the season in Foxborough on Friday, but it wasn’t because of his shoulder ailment.
The Patriots’ quarterback is dealing with an illness that sidelined him from Friday’s practice, Mike Vrabel told reporters. Maye’s also still dealing with the shoulder ailment. However, Vrabel insisted that Maye would’ve practiced if he weren’t sick.
“Nope,” the Patriots head coach responded when asked if there’s any concern surrounding Maye.
Maye was present at the Patriots’ facilities on Friday, Vrabel added. Maye was limited at Thursday’s practice due to the shoulder ailment, although Vrabel continued to stress there isn’t much concern about that injury.
“I would say favorably,” Vrabel said when asked how Maye’s shoulder responded to the workload from Thursday’s practice. “It’s fine.”
Rumors of Maye having a shoulder injury emerged a day after the Patriots’ AFC title win over the Broncos. Even though Maye played the entirety of that game, he appeared to rotate his shoulder and adjust his shoulder pads after an awkward tackle on a scramble in the third quarter.
In the days following the AFC title game, Maye has downplayed the talk surrounding his injury. He said his shoulder was doing “just fine” when he met with reporters following Thursday’s practice.
“I’m feeling good. I got out there, moving around a good bit today,” Maye told reporters on Thursday. “I was able to do some of the jog through, so I’m feeling good. I’m looking forward to being ready to go. This is the game you dream of playing in, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and getting a chance to play in the Super Bowl.”
Maye said he threw at Thursday’s practice, and that he doesn’t think he’ll be inhibited by the shoulder ailment in any way in Super Bowl LX. But he didn’t have a direct answer when asked if he anticipates whether he’ll remain limited between now and next Sunday’s game.
“I’m just going to try to do whatever I can to get back to 100 percent,” Maye replied when asked if he thinks he’ll remain limited in practice ahead of Super Bowl LX. “I think a lot of people in that locker room would say the same thing. Having a two-week break is nice to rest a little more and get to know the Seahawks as well as I can. From there, I’m looking forward to getting out to practice and trying to transfer that to live game reps.”
After having an MVP-caliber regular season, Maye hasn’t been as prolific in the postseason. He’s completed 55.8 percent of his passes for 533 yards and four touchdowns over three games, throwing two interceptions and losing three fumbles.
Maye arguably had his worst passing performance in the Patriots’ win over the Broncos as well. He completed 10 of 21 passes for 86 yards, a season-low. He’s also completed just 9 of 26 downfield passes this season, per Next Gen Stats, after leading the league in passer rating on deep throws during the regular season.
Edge rusher Harold Landry III (knee), Robert Spillane (ankle), and offensive tackle Thayer Munford Jr. (knee) were the other players who weren’t spotted at Patriots practice on Friday.
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