New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is getting ready to play in his first Super Bowl, and at only 23 years old, there’s reason to compare him to Tom Brady, arguably the greatest to ever play his position.
“What [Maye] has done through this postseason run comps to Tom Brady’s beginning of his career,” veteran NFL reporter Kay Adams exclusively told Us Weekly, as part of her partnership with Levy Restaurants. “I like that he’s getting all of the stick about it. ‘He doesn’t have the passing numbers, he doesn’t have —’ he is off to a brilliant start to his career in a rebuilding year where they were not supposed to be there.”
There are certainly similarities. In 2001, Brady’s breakthrough season, the Patriots were also the underdogs, led by a young and, to that point, unknown quarterback. They lost three of their first four games as established starter Drew Bledsoe suffered a season-ending injury in the second game, giving Brady, 48, his opportunity.
That year, the St. Louis Rams entered the Super Bowl as 14-point favorites, but Adam Vinatieri’s field goal as time expired won it for New England. This year, the Seattle Seahawks are 4.5-point favorites, and Adams, 39, expects a battle.
“Do not be surprised if they give the Seahawks team everything they can handle,” she said.
Win or lose, Adams believes Maye is establishing himself as one of the faces of the NFL moving forward.
“Yes, [he has] staying power, no question,” the Up and Adams host said. “One of the young faces of our league heading into 2026, no matter what happens on Sunday.”
She added, “Drake is a beautiful story this year as well. I’ve met him several times. He’s a dialed-in guy, but he can have a laugh. He is generous with his time. I can tell you that. He lets his wife have the spotlight, who wouldn’t love that?”
Though Maye enters the Super Bowl amid a meteoric rise in popularity, some Patriots fans are nervous that a nagging shoulder injury could hamper his play. Maye tried to assure fans during a press conference on Tuesday, February 3, when he said he is “feeling good.”
“We gonna get some extra rest, and really the only thing that’s from the game, I think just the build up of throwing for, this is what, almost, including training camp, 30 weeks straight of throwing and four days a week,” he said. “It can add up. But I’ve got some extra rest. I’m feeling good, and yeah, ready to go for the Super Bowl.”
As for Adams, she expects a “very, very close game,” and while she didn’t predict a winner, she expects a touchdown from Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. No matter who wins, she will take the game in from FanDuel’s stadium suite — and is looking forward to the extensive menu Levy Restaurants will have at Levi’s Stadium.
“I’m super lucky to get a sneak peek at the Super Bowl dinner with Levy, and I’m really excited about some of the options that they have,” she teased, shouting out the gilroy garlic steak frites specifically.
“Their au jus was unbelievable,” she added. “So if you’re a foodie and you care about what you’re eating on the biggest stage — even if you don’t, you just want a tasty bite, [Levy has] everything covered top to bottom.”
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