Caitlin Clark affirmed what everyone now admits about Drake Maye’s rise

Caitlin Clark is already a living sports icon, but she just gained a whole new contingent of NFL fans.

Who is Clark pulling for most in the upcoming NFL playoffs? None other than the New England Patriots, who thanks to Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye, have become the league's most lovable team again after two decades at the top as the envy (and disgust) of the sports world.

The man most responsible for New England’s rapid rise back to relevance? It’s not Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a player during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick heyday, and only needed one year to completely flip the culture for a franchise coming off back-to-back four-win seasons.

No, the Patriots aren’t on the doorstep of another Super Bowl run without Maye, their 23-year-old phenom QB who’s doing everything on and off the field to become an instant icon himself.

Caitlin Clark unwittingly proved Drake Maye is now a household name

Clark joined the Kelce brothers on their New Heights Podcast this week, and she found a way to make the entire Patriots fanbase crack a smile. 

For starters, Clark herself said — “Honestly, I’m a Drake Maye fan. I think he’s been incredible — before stating that, while she respects the Seahawks, 49ers and Rams in the NFC, she’ll be pulling for the Patriots to shock the NFL and win the Super Bowl — again.

She later dropped the most satisfying punchline of all for Patriots fans, giving the Bills a major thumbs down: “I hate the Bills,” she said.

It’s safe to say that Clark now has a key to the city in Boston if she ever wants to visit, but that was probably the case anyway. Clark’s games with the Indiana Fever against the Connecticut Sun, New England’s lone WNBA team, have drawn record crowds at TD Garden, with the demand to see Clark pulling the home team away from their smaller Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.

Clark has also spoken openly about her respect for the Celtics organization, with the team coming off a championship in 2023 and embracing an open style of offense with a heavy reliance on floor spacing and 3-point shooting. As one of the world’s premiere shooters of the basketball, it’s a style of play that Clark can appreciate.

As for Maye, the sudden rise to superstardom is very real. He’s won over the Patriots locker room and fans alike with his cool, down-to-earth demeanor. He always says the right thing at the podium after games, and his play on the field has been as lethal as it’s been consistent.

If it wasn’t obvious before, Captain Clark just made it official: Drake Maye is officially a household name, and the Patriots are back on the sports launching pad because of him.