Mike Vrabel addresses Drake Maye shoulder injury speculation
On Tuesday, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed speculation that quarterback Drake Maye is dealing with a shoulder injury.
DENVER, COLORADO – JANUARY 25: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots rushes for a touchdown during the second quarter in the AFC Championship Playoff game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on January 25, 2026 in Denver, Colorado.
Justin Edmonds/Getty ImagesIn the aftermath of Sunday's AFC Championship Game, speculation has built that New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in the 10-7 win over the Broncos. During his Tuesday morning press conference, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked directly if Maye suffered an injury in the game.
"No. I wouldn't say that anybody hurt anything," Vrabel replied. "This is a sport where there's gonna be things that come up and I don't think that there's a - we'll talk about whatever status each player has for the game once we're required to, we understand that. But we were able to function offensively - throw the football, run the football, so that's kinda where everybody's at."
Vrabel was also asked if he feels the online speculation has been 'overblown.'
"Probably," Vrabel replied. "I think that everybody, and including Drake, is not 100% at this part of the year. We'll do everything that we can to help our players to be prepared and get ready for this game."
That answer is in line with that Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard shared on Monday night that "the information that I have at this moment is that any Maye 'injury' to his throwing shoulder is not believed to be an issue."
The play in question happened early in the third quarter. Maye scrambled and rolled forward to give himself up, with Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga landing on him driving his right shoulder into the ground. It's worth noting that two plays later Maye delivered his best throw of the game, a 31-yard completion on a flea flicker to Mack Hollins.
While the Patriots will hold their two practices of the week Thursday and Friday, they will release their first injury report leading up to the Super Bowl on Wednesday. That will likely be a 'projected' injury report (similar to what the team does when a practice day falls on a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas), but those should be the next official updates from the team on Maye's status, as well as the rest of the roster.
