Patriots QB Drake Maye credits his success partly to competing with his brothers at a young age

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — When Drake Maye thinks about what it took for him to make it to the Super Bowl in just his second NFL season, his mind drifts to some of the stiffest competitions he’s ever faced.

“I just think every two-on-two basketball (game) in the backyard probably prepared me for this,” the New England Patriots quarterback said. “The joy of it, but kind of the feeling you get of accomplishing something, me beating my older brothers or just having an opportunity to compete at a high level.”

Those siblings — Luke, Cole and Beau — never took it easy on the youngest of the Maye boys. It made Drake want to follow in their footsteps as college athletes. Luke and Beau shined on the basketball court at North Carolina. Cole won a baseball national title at Florida.

Maye will now get the chance to achieve on a level none of them have when he leads the Patriots into their Super Bowl matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

The narrative surrounding New England’s 12th Super Bowl appearance has largely centered on the similarities between this team and the one Tom Brady led to the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy in his second season in 2001. But there are also many differences.

Maye has a long way to go before he gets close to replicating Brady’s success. Still, after initial failed attempts by the Patriots to fill the future Hall of Famer’s shoes, Maye is looking like a worthy successor.

Yes, like Brady, Maye’s hit a stride in his second season. But he’s also following his own path.

Brady grew up a California kid wanting to be Joe Montana but wasn’t drafted until the sixth round. Maye was the No. 3 overall draft pick out of North Carolina who watched the Patriots beat his Panthers in the first Super Bowl he saw in person. That game took place in the same stadium where he’ll now play his first Super Bowl.

Maye has tried to avoid the spotlight during his breakout season, though it hasn’t prevented him from earning the respect of teammates who believe his best football is yet to come.

As even-keeled as Maye has been throughout this season, they have seen his emotions dial up at times.

“After a win. Especially after the AFC championship win when he’s running for the first down (that helped secure the win),” receiver Stefon Diggs recalled. “He’s just a quarterback who kind of gives the credit to everybody else. But as a receiver, I’d like to give him more credit than everybody takes. He can run, he can throw, he can jump and can cut. He can make people miss. He does a lot from that quarterback position that’s truly special. When you see that guy get emotional, it’s more on the good side.”

Maye’s leadership abilities have also been refreshing to those around him.

When Patriots coach Mike Vrabel surveyed the NFL landscape in search of a new team, one of the things he hoped to find was a team with a young quarterback that he felt he could build around.

It didn’t take him long to see something special in Maye.

“I think I probably realized that before I got here. That’s a large part of the reason that I wanted to be here,” Vrabel said.

Then he got a chance to see him in person.

“There were plays in training camp and things that he did,” Vrabel said. “I think the thing was the accuracy outside of the pocket or on the move, the way he plays the position, he has an athletic nature to the way that he plays the position. So, I think that’s somewhat unique."

Maye has also demonstrated his running ability. Though his ability to make clean slides has been an issue at times, he rushed for 450 yards and four touchdowns during the regular season.

He’s posted 141 rushing yards and a touchdown in the playoffs, adding a dimension to his game that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been more than willing to work into his scheme.

Maye's scrambles in the AFC championship game win over Denver helped the Patriots find offense in a game dominated by defense. That could again be the case against Seattle on Sunday.

“Now that I’m in the NFL now, I’m just trying to model my game after myself,” Maye said. “There’s things you try to take from players. But I wouldn’t say I’m trying to model my game after anybody anymore. I’m at the stage now where I’m an NFL quarterback and trying to make a name for myself.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye laughs during the NFL Super Bowl Opening Night, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. ahead of the Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye talks to the media during a news conference Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif., ahead of the Super Bowl 60 NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye talks to the media during a news conference Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif., ahead of the Super Bowl 60 NFL football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye looks to pass during practice ahead of the Super Bowl 60 NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

NEW YORK (AP) — The early Bird had to circle Yankee Stadium.

Jake Bird arrived at 8:15 a.m. Friday, more than five hours before the start of his first game in pinstripes. The gate where New York Yankees players usually enter wasn't yet open and he was told to enter from the other side of the ballpark, at Gate 6.

“I just walked around,” the relief pitcher said. "It was a nice foggy morning.”

Eight months after the Yankees acquired him from Colorado, Bird pitched in the Bronx for the first time Friday. He struck out two in a perfect seventh inning of an 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins in New York's home opener.

Bird credited Natalie Girard for recommending he account for possibly congested streets when he called for Uber pickup at his Manhattan hotel.

“My girlfriend is really familiar with New York, so she was kind of telling me, `Hey, there might be traffic in the morning, so you should get there early,'” Bird recalled. “Also, I didn’t really know where to enter the stadium and stuff and I’ve been in that spot before where I kind of got lost, so just it didn’t hurt to get here a little early and kind of familiarize myself with the place.”

Hours later, he entered with a 5-2 lead in the seventh inning. Bird retired Otto Lopez on a flyout, threw a called third strike past Owen Caissie and struck out Connor Norby.

Bird pumped both arms and screamed.

“He had a little emotional release after getting that third out,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He was, again, really sharp, man, and went right through the middle of their order. Right, left, left was efficient.”

Bird was dealt by the Rockies for a pair of prospects last July 31, made three relief appearances on the road, the last in Texas ending with Josh Jung's three-run, walk-off homer, and was sent to Triple-A for the rest of the season.

“I know last year it didn’t really work out the way he wanted,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said, “He’s a guy that wants to be here. He wants to be great and I think after going through last year he knows the expectations now and he’s ready to go.”

Bird has allowed one hit over 4 1/3 scoreless innings in four games this season, striking out five and walking none.

“I’m just trying to stay closed and not fly open,” he said. “I know my slider and my breaking balls have been really good and fastball is a weak point at times, so just trying to build on the breaking balls as a strength and trying to improve the fastball, as well.”

An economics major at UCLA, Bird was taken by the Rockies on the fifth round of the 2018 amateur draft and made his big league debut in 2022. He has a 4.68 ERA with 221 strikeouts in 236 2/3 innings.

“Opening day is amazing," he said, “experience it here for the first time was really cool.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

New York Yankees' pitcher Jake Bird walks back to dugout during the sixth inning of a home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)