Drake Maye uses Michael Jordan, Tom Brady as examples for why he's hard on himself

Doug Kyed, Boston Herald on Jan 23, 2026

Published in Football

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FOXBORO, Mass. — Asked to pick his favorite pass of the season on Friday, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye could only think of the throws he wished he could take back.

It wasn’t the only time Maye was hard on himself Friday, and it’s far from the first time the young Patriots QB has shown humility this season.

He did it again on Friday when asked what he’s learned through two playoff games that will help him in Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Broncos.

“Really, you’ve got to play at a high level,” Maye said. “Those few plays you want to have back, I can think of a few from the past few games I’ve played in that I missed touchdown throws, missed a guy in a read, put the ball on the ground, little things like that, how costly they can become. They haven’t for us yet, but they could down the road. Protecting the football and little things like that, how important those things are.”

Maye preaches positivity to his teammates, but he’s not afraid to lean into the negatives regarding his own performance, especially after games in which he struggles.

So, does he use that honest assessment of his own play as a motivational tool? Of course, because that’s what the greats do.

“I think it’s always motivational,” Maye said Friday. “What can I do to make that throw the next time, or what can I do to make that play in the next big-time scenario? I think that’s what pushes great players and what pushes the past great ones. What can I do when it counts the most in the toughest situation or in the biggest moment of the game to make that play?

“I think that’s what you see in all these famous — whether it’s Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance,” all these great (all-)time players or Tom Brady and what he did here, all these greats of wanting to be in those moments. I think that’s what makes our sport so special and what makes football so special with my position where I have the football in my hands, and let’s see what I can do.”

The 2025 Patriots will try to be the first squad in franchise history to beat the Broncos in Denver during the postseason. Maye was asked Friday what that would mean. He said it would be “huge.”

A Super Bowl appearance is on the line, after all.