Patriots’ Drake Maye Delivers Verdict On Strange Viral Nickname
A cool and catchy nickname often accompanies sports stardom, which means fans may need to keep brainstorming a better moniker for Drake Maye.
In the midst of a breakout season, Maye has become the recipient of a head-scratching new nickname. Social media users have taken to calling the second-year quarterback Drake “Drake Maye” Maye for reasons beyond sensible explanation.
Fans may have polarizing takes on the odd trend, but Maye doesn’t seem to mind. The 23-year-old laughed when former Patriots star Devin McCourty mentioned the nickname to start an NBC interview shared on Saturday.
“I don’t know,” Maye said of the nickname’s origins. “I think it’s pretty clever. I mean, it’s not very unique.”
The label has spread beyond the internet and into the team building. Perhaps more patient than others, Maye isn’t bothered by teammates calling him Drake “Drake Maye” Maye.
“The guys call me that in the locker room,” Maye said. “It’s funny. It gets you a laugh. Nobody really knows what it means, so I’m for it. I’m not against it. I think it’s pretty cool.”
A quarterback by any other name would still frequent the MVP conversation with Maye’s numbers. He enters Sunday second in yards per attempt (8.7) and third in quarterback rating (109.1) for the 11-3 Patriots, who lead the AFC East and are on the doorstep of a postseason appearance.
New England missed a chance to clinch the division in Week 15, but Maye can secure a playoff berth for his team by leading the Patriots to a “Sunday Night Football” win over the Baltimore Ravens.