New England Patriots
“Yes, they lost the Super Bowl. And it stung like the bitter cold. But they showed this city what it looks like to overcome adversity — on the field and off.”
Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel helped lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance last season. Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe
Sports continue to dominate the landscape in Boston — at least according to Boston Magazine.
Fresh off of playing a key role in leading the New England Patriots to an unexpected appearance in Super Bowl LX, Boston Magazine named Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and Patriots QB Drake Maye as the “Most Influential Bostonians” for 2026.
The duo led a list that included Governor Maura Healey (No. 2), Eastern Bank executive chair Bob Rivers (No. 3), Mayor Michelle Wu (No. 4), and The ‘Quin House co-founders Sandy and Paul Edgerley (No. 5).
Entering the 2025 season, expectations were low for a Patriots team expected to be in the midst of a multi-year rebuild.
But, under Vrabel’s leadership in his first year as Patriots head coach — and a MVP-level campaign from Maye in just his second year in the NFL ranks — the Patriots posted a 14-3 record and made it all the way to Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks.
New England ultimately fell to Seattle, 29-13, at Levi’s Stadium.
In what was expected to be a down year for Boston sports going into the fall of 2025, the Patriots have seemingly accelerated their timeline and re-established themselves as a premier power in the AFC for 2026 and beyond.
“One year ago, the Patriots had gone 4–13 in back-to-back seasons,” Boston Magazine wrote of Vrabel and Maye’s impact last year. “Five-year-olds had never known a New England playoff team. Then Vrabel—three-time Super Bowl champion, beloved former linebacker, a man who isn’t afraid to go to counseling—came home. And the quarterback everyone had been waiting for finally showed up. Maye completed 72 percent of his passes, led the league in QB rating, and was robbed of the MVP by voters who chose a veteran over a revelation. Vrabel won Coach of the Year. The Patriots went 14–3 and seized the AFC crown.
“Yes, they lost the Super Bowl. And it stung like the bitter cold. But they showed this city what it looks like to overcome adversity—on the field and off. For a city that needed it, the joy was real. That doesn’t go away.”
Expectations are high for the Patriots once again going into the 2026 season.
Even with a daunting regular-season schedule on deck, another season of NFL experience should only help Maye, who finished second in NFL MVP voting.
Vrabel — who has come under fire for the ongoing controversy regarding his relationship with former The Athletic NFL writer Dianna Russini — is reportedly back at work at the Patriots team facility in Foxborough this week as New England starts laying the groundwork for a new football campaign.
Maye and Vrabel aren’t the only Boston sports stars to make the top 10 of Boston Magazine’s latest list of the most influential Bostonians.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown ranked No. 8 after a season where he helped lead Boston — playing without Jayson Tatum for most of the season — back to the playoffs in what was initially deemed as a bridge year for the NBA franchise.
Boston Magazine also lauded Brown for his active role in the Boston community.
“What does an NBA superstar do on his day off? If you’re Brown, you host a fundraising bowling event for Boston kids or an education fair in Roxbury, with more than 50 partnering organizations,” the outlet wrote of the Celtics star.
“Now in his 10th season wearing green—and carrying the Celtics through Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury — Brown is having his best year yet, averaging career highs across the board. He’s stepped up on and off the court, and the city adores him for it.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
