Following Breakout Season, Drake Maye Finishes Close Runner-Up In NFL MVP Voting

After leading the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance in his first full season as a starter and his second pro season, Drake Maye finished second in the NFL’s Most Valuable Player voting, the league announced on Thursday night.

Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams took home MVP honors. It was the closest vote in 23 years, according to ESPN, with Stafford narrowly beating Maye 366–361 in total points, getting 24 first-place votes to Maye’s 23.

Across three seasons in Chapel Hill, Maye threw for 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns while completing 65 percent of his passes, adding 1,209 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. In two seasons as North Carolina’s starting quarterback, Maye compiled an 18-8 record, earning ACC Player of the Year honors in 2022 and Second-Team All-ACC recognition in 2023.

Drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye took the reins of New England’s offense this season, throwing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He completed 72 percent of his passes, posted a 113.5 passer rating, and led the league in both categories.

Maye led the Patriots to a 14-3 regular-season record and their first AFC East title since 2019, under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel.

Through three playoff games, Maye has accounted for 533 passing yards and four touchdowns, adding 141 rushing yards and a score on the ground. In the snow-blanketed AFC Championship slugfest against the Broncos, Maye delivered the defining moment — a seven-yard scramble on third-and-six with 1:57 remaining — sealing the Patriots’ trip to Super Bowl LX against the Seahawks on Sunday.

In his rookie season, Maye took over as the Patriots’ starting quarterback after replacing Jacoby Brissett following the team’s 1–4 start. He remained under center the rest of the year, throwing for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as New England finished 4–13

Ranked as the No. 45 player and No. 8 quarterback in the 2021 class, Maye committed to North Carolina on March 6, 2020, flipping his initial commitment to play for Nick Saban at Alabama. 

Maye’s father, Mark, played quarterback at North Carolina from 1984 to 1987, and his older brother, Luke, played basketball for the Tar Heels from 2015 to 2019, most notably hitting a buzzer beater against Kentucky in the 2017 Elite Eight to send the Tar Heels to the Final Four.