Drake Maye shares lessons learned from Brady, health regimen

Patriots fans are holding out hope that Drake Maye can follow in Tom Brady’s footsteps when it comes to taking the team to several Super Bowls in the coming years.

But Maye — now set to enter his third season in the NFL — also wants to forge his own path as he holds court as the Patriots’ franchise quarterback.

Maye was the cover athlete of the fall 2026 issue of Men’s Health, with the star QB touching on several subjects as part of an extended feature story — including an interview with Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel. 

​When the subject of Brady and his looming legacy over the Patriots was broached, Maye was candid when asked about what specific lessons he’s learned from the NFL legend.

“I think the only advice that I’ve ever felt like I needed from Tom was the way he did things and the way he approached the game… For me to ask him questions and call him all the time would be a disservice to what he did and how he did it in his time here in New England,” Maye said. “[He played] at such a high level for such a long time …. the greatest to play the position.

“I think he set the standard of playing the position in the NFL. He set the standard at the highest level there ever is, and people are trying to chase him. So, it’s our job to try to learn and pick up things that he did, and try to match it.”

Even with Brady’s historic two-decade run in New England, the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s focus these days isn’t necessarily helping Maye and his former team — given that the 49-year-old now serves as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

​Maye may not treat himself to avocado ice cream like Brady, but the 24-year-old does take his health seriously — especially as it pertains to his diet.

As part of his Men’s Health interview, Maye revealed that he rarely drinks alcohol — adding that it’s something that he picked up from his family.

“It started from my dad, really. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him take a sip of alcohol. It’s something I grew used to. My brother Luke didn’t drink growing up. My brother Bo doesn’t drink. It’s something [where] I just followed people that I really admired. … I’ll get on the beach and have a piña colada, but I’m not one to drink. I probably drink less than five times a year, 10 times a year.

“I’ve been used to people I admire and seeing them put away something that I feel like can become not harmful, but something that can prohibit you from reaching your goals. … It’s always hard for me because people joke about, ‘Man, you’re not one of the boys, having a drink. You’re missing out on a great time.’ … It’s become my ritual.”

​When it comes to building healthy habits and adhering to a steady routine, Maye was quick to credit his wife, Ann Michael, for helping him get on track as he made the jump from the collegiate ranks at UNC to the NFL.

“I think one of the biggest things was getting married. … In college I was — go to bed at midnight, and we did have to wake up at six for our first meeting at 6:30 AM. And now me and my wife are in bed by ten at the latest, usually,” Maye said. “So that’s this navigation of growing and kind of maturing and just realizing, eating more meals at home, you’re eating better stuff instead of going out to eat, you know, all the time, like, I was before, you know, I started living with my wife.

“So I think just the nature of growing up, maturing, and just enjoying the little things of having a dinner at home and sitting on the couch and watching a sports game, or watching a show and enjoying the peace and the escape from my job or my sport or what I do for a living, and just having that time away from the sport and realizing that that’s important for the mental health and also for, you know, just to your life.”

Maye is looking to take another major step forward in 2026 — a scary scenario for the rest of the NFL after the young quarterback finished runner-up in NFL MVP voting last year and led New England on an improbable run to Super Bowl LX.

“It’s hard not to say win a Super Bowl,” Maye said of his career goals. “It’s hard not to say play for a certain amount of time. You know, 15 years for me would be awesome at my position, playing for 15 years.

“And I think the other goal would just be [to] have impact not only on the field, but off the field, in what I do outside of football. [Those] would be probably the three that come to mind first … And knowing that all those are in reach is the coolest thing.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.