Drake Maye injury update: Former NFL doctor doubles down on Patriots QB claim, makes bold statement on Super Bowl status

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was the subject of injury speculation coming out of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game victory over the Denver Broncos. David D. Chao, a former NFL team doctor, said that Maye injured his right throwing shoulder against the Broncos.

Chao expressed his concerns about Maye and how the apparent injury would affect him in Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks. He doubled down Tuesday after Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the speculation.

“No question #DrakeMaye will play in Super Bowl. Also no question he hurt his right shoulder,” Chao wrote on X.

Vrabel on Monday wasn’t willing to dive into potential specifics of the alleged injury: “There’s not a player on our team that’s 100% healthy,” Vrabel said on The Greg Hill Show. “I would imagine we will go through the injury report, and whenever we have to turn that in, we’ll turn it in. But nobody is 100%. This will be our 21st game.”

Vrabel then spoke to the New England media on Tuesday. Asked directly if Maye hurt his shoulder, he said, “No, I wouldn’t say that anybody hurt anything.”

“This is a sport where there’s gonna be things that come up,” Vrabel said. “We’ll talk about whatever status each player has for the game once we’re required to.”

Maye’s status will be closely monitored this week and next, with the Super Bowl set for Sunday, Feb. 8. He and the Patriots are coming off a gutsy win in Denver in what became a blizzard in the second half. Maye completed just 10-of-21 passes for 86 yards. However, he ran 10 times for 65 yards and a touchdown. Maye ran for the clinching first down in the fourth quarter to send the Patriots back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2018.

It’s been a stellar sophomore campaign for the 2024 No. 3 overall pick. He is a finalist for the AP MVP Award and will become the second-youngest quarterback to start in the Super Bowl behind only Dan Marino. The Patriots are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl victories with six; Maye and co. hope to make it seven.

“The history and everything about it, it’s a new team. It’s a new era,” Maye said. “I respect and appreciate what the Patriots dynasty did and unfortunately, they didn’t come out with some wins [in Denver]. We changed the narrative and we look forward to bringing our best football to Santa Clara.”