Patriots' Drake Maye Reacts to Pro Bowl Selection

As a result, it should come as no surprise that Maye’s performance this season has earned him a place within showcase of the game’s brightest stars. Maye will represent the Pats at the 2026 Pro Bowl. The annual all-star event will be played on Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. Just moments after being named as one of three quarterbacks for the AFC squad — along with Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert — Maye took a moment to reflect on his second selection in as many seasons.

And in true Drake “Drake Maye” Maye fashion, he assured Pats Nation that his eyes remain squarely on the prize. His first priority is New England’s Week 17 showdown with the New York Jets coming up after the Christmas holiday.

“Obviously, you want to play this game at a high level, and you want to earn the respect of your peers, your organization and around the league,” Maye told reporters at Gillette Stadium. “It's a great honor, but like I said, like I keep saying, I care about winning. I realize what the Pro Bowl's about, and it's obviously a great honor. I don't want to kind of put that to bed like it's not a cool deal. It really is, but like I said, we've got some more important games ahead — starting with this week against New York — and I'm looking forward to that.”

Though several Patriots players have significantly contributed to their streak of success, the one constant throughout the season has been Maye. The third overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft has one of the NFL's most efficient and explosive offenses, ranking sixth overall in the NFL and seventh in scoring. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Maye is also earning well-deserved mentions as a strong candidate for NFL MVP.

Drake Maye Remains Grateful for Pro Bowl Appearance in Rookie Season

Overall, Maye is wisely taking his time to recognize the significance of this season’s Pro Bowl honors. Despite this being his second selection, the UNC product is cognizant that this year’s honor of being named to the initial team inherently carries additional pride. Still, he remains grateful for his experience during last season’s Pro Bowl in Orlando, FL. In fact, Maye has used much of what he learned from the game’s top performers as fuel for both his and the Patriots‘ meteoric rise back to the top of the NFL pantheon.

“Yeah, I was probably the last choice [last year] … They finally got somebody that would go,” Maye said. “So, I went. I was a rookie, and was like, ‘Hey, it would be cool to maybe try it out.’ And no, it was definitely awesome being around the older players, veterans and quarterbacks.

“You hear them talk about their season, the playoffs and little things like that that is just invaluable for me as a young player …. what it's like seeing how bad they want to win. It strives for what this league's about, and that’s everybody getting to the playoffs, winning playoff games and getting to the big game.”