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How Drake Maye's First Patriots Super Bowl Run Compares To Tom Brady's

Drake Maye is looking to become just the second quarterback in New England Patriots history to lead the team to a Super Bowl title.

The 23-year-old has drawn a lot of comparisons to that quarterback, Tom Brady, during his quest to do just that.

Maye has done his best to downplay these comparisons amid his star turn. Most recently, the 23-year-old noted his respect for Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl winner, at Super Bowl opening night.

"I appreciate his greatness," Maye said of Brady. "What he did for my team that I play for now, what he did for football, what he's done for my position that I play. Just respect for how he played the game, how he wanted to win so bad, how he carried his teammates, how he led his teammates, how he approached the sport.

"[I want to] pay respect to him, but not try to be him and just try to be myself."

Even so, it's hard to ignore the parallels between the rises of Brady and Maye. Both enjoyed breakout performances during their second seasons and, along with strong defenses, helped the Patriots reach the Super Bowl.

Here's a look at how Maye and Brady's second seasons stack up as the 23-year-old quarterback looks to mirror Brady's success leading the Patriots to a Lombardi Trophy in his second NFL season.

Tom Brady's first Super Bowl season

Regular season

Brady's rise to prominence almost began as an accident. He began the 2001 NFL season as the Patriots' backup quarterback but was quickly thrust into the starting lineup after Drew Bledsoe suffered internal bleeding in his chest after being hit by New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis.

Brady – a sixth-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft out of Michigan – took the opportunity and ran with it. His overall numbers weren't prolific, as he completed 63.9% of his passes for 2,843 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions across 14 starts.

That said, Brady posted an 11-3 record as New England's starter and his 86.5 passer rating – in a sign of the less, pass-happy early aughts – ranked sixth in the NFL. That helped the then-24-year-old earn the first Pro Bowl nod of his career after an efficient season.

Playoffs

The Patriots earned the No. 2 seed on the AFC side of the bracket after posting an 11-5 regular-season record. As a result, they needed only to win two games to make it to Super Bowl 36, as the top two seeds in each conference received bye weeks under the NFL's old playoff format.

In Brady's first playoff game, he led the Patriots to a 16-13 overtime win over the then-Oakland Raiders, a game famous for the "Tuck Rule" play. Brady completed 32 of 52 passes for 312 yards in that game with an interception. His only touchdown came on the ground.

Brady was then knocked out of the AFC championship game in the first half after suffering a left leg injury. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 115 yards before Bledsoe famously came on to finish a 24-17 Patriots victory.

In all, Brady completed 44 of 70 passes for 427 yards and an interception in the lead-up to the Super Bowl. He accounted for just one touchdown, had a 73.9 passer rating and relied on a defense that limited its opponents to 15 points per game to make to Super Bowl 36 against the then-St. Louis Rams.

Super Bowl 36

Brady saved his best performance of the 2001 playoffs for Super Bowl 36. He completed 16 of 27 passes for 145 yards and his first career postseason passing touchdown in New England's 20-17 win over the Rams.

Brady was, once again, buoyed by his defense, as Ty Law opened the Patriots' scoring with a 47-yard pick-six against Kurt Warner.

But in the game's final two minutes, Brady was called upon to lead a game-winning drive with the game tied at 17-all. Over the final 97 seconds of regulation, Brady completed 5 of 8 passes for 53 yards to put Adam Vinatieri in range for a game-winning 48-yard field goal attempt.

Vinatieri's kick was good, and Brady was named MVP of the Super Bowl thanks to his game-winning drive.

Drake Maye's first Super Bowl season

Regular season

Maye broke out in his second season, but it came amid different circumstances than Brady.

Maye – the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft – made 12 starts during his rookie season and entered his second season as the team's starter. He also was playing for a new coaching staff and, most notably, was set to work with stud offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for the first time in 2025.

While many anticipated Maye would take a step forward after the Patriots upgraded his supporting cast, the 23-year-old took a bigger leap than expected. He led New England to an impressive 14-3 record while completing an NFL-best 72% of his passes for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions and adding 450 yards and four scores on the ground.

Maye undoubtedly benefitted from playing the NFL's weakest schedule, but the second-year quarterback's league-best 113.5 passer rating nonetheless established him as one of the sport's best and most efficient signal-callers. His elite-level performance made him a Pro Bowler, an All-Pro second-teamer and the MVP runner-up behind only Matthew Stafford.

Playoffs

Maye's regular-season performance was a level above Brady's in their respective second seasons. They have been on more equal footing in the postseason, where Maye hasn't yet replicated his regular-season dominance.

Maye's up-and-down playoff performance has partly due to the gauntlet of strong defenses the Patriots have thus far faced. The Patriots played the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos in the postseason. All three teams ranked top-eight in defensive EPA per play for the 2025 NFL season, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats, with the Texans sporting the No. 1 overall mark league-wide.

As such, Maye saw his passing efficiency take a hit while also absorbing a whopping 15 sacks and six fumbles across his first three playoff starts. He completed 55.8% of his passes for 533 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions while also running for 141 yards and a touchdown.

Even so, Maye made plenty of plays – particularly with his legs – despite being under pressure often against the Chargers and Texans. He did the same against the Broncos, rushing for 65 yards as second-half white-out conditions made it difficult for both teams to throw.

The lattermost game is part of the reason Maye's overall postseason passer rating sits at a solid but unspectacular 84. But like Brady, while he hasn't been explosive during his first playoff run, he has been efficient enough to help lead his team to victory in tight games.

Now, Maye will look to match Brady by leading the Patriots to a victory in Super Bowl 60.