Patriots QB Drake Maye Honored With Pair of ESPY Nominations
Despite being in the depths of the offseason and several months removed from his debut in the Super Bowl, Drake Maye's sparkling 2025 season is continuing to be recognized on the national stage.
The New England Patriots quarterback has been announced as a finalist for two separate ESPY awards this week. He's one of four nominees for the 2026 ESPY for Best Breakthrough Athlete and Best NFL Player.
Along with Maye, San Jose Sharks forward Maklin Celebrini, Indiana and now-Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Olympic gold medal figure skater Alysa Liu were the nominees for Best Breakthrough Athlete. Myles Garrett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Matthew Stafford were the three other nominess for Best NFL Player.
Drake Maye's Impressive Sophomore Year Leads To Hardware Chatter
Maye's MVP-caliber season this past year helped flip the switch for the Patriots. He helped lead to 14 wins and their first division title since 2019. His 4,394 passing yards ranked fourth in the NFL, his 31 passing touchdowns ranked third and he was named to his second-straight Pro Bowl.
After the regular season, Maye's play took a dip in the postseason. Struggled against some of the league's top defenses gave the 23-year-old troubles, but he was able to right the ship and win three-straight playoff games. He became just the fourth quarterback in franchise history (Tony Eason, Drew Bledsoe, Tom Brady) to start a Super Bowl.
Maye was one of the finalists for the NFL's MVP and Offensive Player of the Year Awards. He didn't win either, missing out on the league's top honor by one vote to Stafford.
New England's History At ESPYs:
The Patriots are no strangers to the ESPY stage. During the second stage of the franchise's dynastic years, they were an annual name to see on the nominee list. Brady had taken home three ESPYs (2008 and 2018 Best NFL Player, 2002 Best Breakthrough Athlete), while the franchise has won for 2004 Best Game (Super Bowl XXXVIII), 2014 Best Game (Super Bowl XLIX) and 2017 Best Game (Super Bowl LI). Tedy Bruschi (2006) and Rob Gronkowski (2015) both won the Best Comeback Athlete Award, while Bill Belichick won the 2005 Best Coach/Manager Award.
Will Maye attend the event in New York? He's scheduled to host a youth camp on July 15 in New Hampshire, and two the next day in Massachusetts. That remains up in the air right now.
As Maye enters his third season in the NFL, the sky is the limit for the gunslinger. He was named a captain last season and has taken on a larger role in the leadership department for New England. His accuracy has been on point during the spring practices and he's becoming a true face of not only the franchise, but of the entire New England region.
The drive to continue getting better has been a theme for Maye, who certainly will hear his name called in plenty of award conversations during his career. Part of his goals this offseason have been stacking days so that he can end up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy instead of watching another quarterback do it.
"I think that's what you're out here doing. You're still trying to improve," Maye said during mandatory minicamp. "It's hard for me to gauge. I'm just focused day-to-day and really not trying to pinpoint an area. I'm trying to get better in all areas. I think it's hard to pinpoint that. I think one thing is just making the right decision in the first few seconds I have the ball in my hand.
"Making the right decision, knowing sometimes incompletions are the best plays, not trying to hold the ball too long and get out of the habit of really trying to extend plays just because I feel like I haven't extended a play in a while."
The 2026 ESPY Award winners will be revealed on July 15 on ABC from New York City. Maye is the only Patriots player/coach to be nominated for an award.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots QB Drake Maye Honored With Pair of ESPY Nominations.
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This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 5:30 AM.