The entire world is locked in on both the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks as Super Bowl LX draws nearer and nearer.
For the Patriots, this means focus on quarterback Drake Maye has only increased. The signal caller — in the midst of only his second-year in the NFL — led New England to the upcoming championship game after posting a 72.0 completion percentage and rushing for over 450 yards. He also threw for over 4,000, with his questionable shoulder status currently being a topic of discussion.
However, it appears all roads are leading to Maye being available for the Super Bowl. In addition, it also appears the league’s Most Valuable Player award for the 2025 season seemingly comes down to Maye and Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams.
Maye’s stock for the award can also only be expected to continue to rise as he prepares for the upcoming ballgame.
“I feel good. I got out there moving around a good bit today. I was able to get with some doctors and looking forward to being ready to go and this is the game you dream of playing in so looking forward to getting out there and getting a chance to play in the Super Bowl,” Maye said at a press conference on Jan. 29 when asked how he was feeling after being listed on an injury report.
“I’m just trying to do whatever I can to get back to 100%. I think a lot of people in that locker room would say the same thing — having a two-week break is nice to rest a little more and get back to know the Seahawks as good as I can. Looking forward to getting out to practice and trying to transfer that to live game reps.”
ESPN Gives Drake Maye Advantage in MVP Prediction
With that in mind, ESPN recently put out a story with eight of 11 NFL reporters giving Maye the MVP nod over Stafford.
The article was published on Jan. 27 by Sarah Barshop, Doug Greenberg, Mike Reiss and Seth Walder. Among those reporters/NFL staffers polled were Jeremy Fowler, Dan Graziano, Liz Loza, Eric Moody, Dan Orlovsky, Marcus Spears, Ben Solak, Mike Tannenbaum, Lindsey Thiry, Seth Walder and Field Yates.
The final tally consisted of only Fowler, Orlovsky and Thiry making the case for Stafford to be awarded the MVP accolade.
Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) leaves the field after the 2026 NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
ESPN would also note that the statistics back up Maye being the most solid and obvious choice for the award.
“The numbers solidly back Maye for MVP. He led the league in QBR by a healthy margin, with his 77.1 well outpacing the next-best finisher — the Packers’ Jordan Love at 72.8 — and fourth-place Stafford at 71.1,” ESPN wrote. “Maye’s accuracy was his best trait in his MVP-worthy season.”
Drake Maye. MVP finalist. 👏@DrakeMaye2 | @NFL pic.twitter.com/VIRjQRJ5mX
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 22, 2026
In total, New England has seen 11 Super Bowl appearances, including six wins and five losses. Ahead of Feb. 8, whether six wins becomes seven rests a lot on Maye’s shoulders.
Award winners for the 2025 NFL season will be announced at NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb. 5 — should Maye be awarded MVP, it can only be expected to give the QB an added boost in confidence leading up to taking the field against the Seahawks.