New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye struggled to control his emotions after losing the 2026 Super Bowl.
“I’m so proud,” Maye, 23, said in a postgame press conference on Sunday, February 8, after the Patriots lost to the Seattle Seahawks 29-13 in Super Bowl LX. “That’s probably the reason I’m choked up most.”
Maye continued to pause as he answered reporters’ questions while visibly holding back tears.
“This team is something that I’m just glad to be part of,” he continued, offering a shout-out to the “great people” who work alongside the Patriots all season.
“I’m just glad to have this uniform on and looking forward to getting back and play [in] another one,” Maye said.
The NFL star looked down and rubbed his eyes before responding to another reporter. While the question was inaudible, Maye replied that it was “hard” to compare playing at the Super Bowl to any other regular season game.
“It’s a business at this level, but it’s more than that,” he explained. “It’s more than that in a game like this and that’s about it. It’s more than a business. There’s people in there that are doing it, not for the money or fame and that’s what’s cool about this team.”
Sunday night marked Maye’s first Super Bowl appearance following an impressive season. In his second year on the Patriots, he brought the team to their first Super Bowl in seven years.
There was speculation ahead of the game that Maye wouldn’t take the field on Sunday because of a shoulder injury sustained during the playoffs. He addressed the injury during the postgame press conference.
“I shot it up, so not much feeling,” Maye said. “It was good to go and it felt all right.”
Maye and the Patriots had a rough go against the Seahawks, making their only two touchdowns during the fourth quarter while their opponents dominated the field throughout the night.
“Just like every year, somebody’s going to lose this game and we have to remember what it feels and make sure that it’s not repeated,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said during his postgame press conference on Sunday. “We couldn’t gain any rhythm, field position. … We’ve been really good against the run lately, and we weren’t.”
Vrabel, 50, added, “I appreciate the way that the guys offensively battled and competed. But just not enough consistent execution.”
Maye also told reporters that the Seahawks “played better” than the Patriots on Sunday, noting they “deserved to win” the game.
“Speaking for the whole team and myself, what a journey it’s been for us. I love this team. Love those guys in that locker room. I’m going to leave it all on the field and I know a lot of guys did that tonight and just came up short. Didn’t play our best and that’s what happens,” Maye added, noting that he’d love to “go back to the beginning and redo” the game.
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