The New England Patriots' magnificent 2025 voyage will end on February 8, 2025, with either a win or a loss in the final NFL game of the season. A win in the Super Bowl would cap off a season for the ages in Foxborough, led by the master builder, Head Coach Mike Vrabel, and his top implement, MVP (hopefully) quarterback, Drake Maye.
A legendary quarterback, Joe Montana, recently lauded Maye's efforts on the Pat McAfee Show.
Maye has not only had a breakout season (he was named Breakout Player of the Year by Pro Football Focus in a rather tepid award), but has also emphatically e dispelled any thoughts of a sophomore slump. His terrific 2025 season equaled or surpassed even some of the most optimistic predictions.
The just turned 23-year-old quarterback was already named a Pro Bowler for the second time, but is also in contention for the top award of all, the National Football League's MVP award.
His excellence, along with Vrabel's almost unimaginable transformation of a bottom-of-the-NFL roster into a Super Bowl team, has taken the Patriots to their very pinnacle of NFL success.
Joe Montana likes the way Drake Maye is handling himself
Until Tom Brady came along, Joe Montana was the gold standard for NFL quarterbacks. He was the winner's winner and a good guy to boot. He's in anyone's top five all-time, friend or foe. When you get Montana's endorsement, you've done something.
Montana has recently done just that and given a nice kudo to Drake Maye on ESPN's Pat McAfee Show.
"I just think that he's playing within himself and that's all you have to do." ✍️
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 27, 2026
Hall of Fame QB @JoeMontana on Drake Maye ahead of his first career Super Bowl 🏆
(via @patmcafeeshow) pic.twitter.com/GL6aJkOj5H
The phrase "playing within yourself" means you're using the skills you have and not trying to be what you're not. In Maye's case, that means throwing the ball the way he wants to throw it and running the ball when he sees the opportunity, even when his coaching staff can't see the forest for the trees, as with the Patriots coaching staff, especially early on.
Joe Montana would endorse letting Drake Maye be Drake Maye
Joe Montana's comments certainly endorse the "Let Drake Maye be Drake Maye" philosophy. Early on at Foxborough, observers tried to fault everything from his footwork to his arm angles, and any other foolish criticism they could divine.
It was all a waste of words, and Maye has proven that this season.
Maye's passing has been just fine, as he led the NFL in completion percentage (72%), passer rating, and total quarterback rating. He's the NFL's best passer, and it's not even close, and he should be the yet-to-be-decided NFL MVP.
As Joe Montana noted, he's "played within himself" and done what he needed to do both with his arm and his legs to bring his team to the Super Bowl. There's not much more he can do except to go out on February 8 and beat the Seattle Seahawks.
And that's exactly what's being predicted here: that he will win that game and bring the Patriots' seventh Lombardi Trophy to Foxborough.