The noise around Drake Maye’s injured shoulder is only getting louder.

The New England quarterback was not at practice Friday raising some alarms around the team just nine days out from Super Bowl 2026.

Maye, who had reportedly not missed a practice all season, sat out with what head coach Mike Vrabel said was a combination of “injury and illness.”

“We’ve had a lot of guys over the last month or six weeks here with illness,” he told reporters. “Trying to do what’s best for the player and the team, trying to take care of guys, not spread anything.”

The 23-year-old, on the heels of an MVP-worthy regular season, was listed as a limited participant on the Patriots’ Jan. 28 practice report, the result of a rough-and-tumble AFC Championship win over the Broncos that saw him land hard on his right throwing shoulder after being tackled in the third quarter.

Both he and Vrabel have downplayed the severity of the injury, though the QB acknowledged having “bumps and bruises.”

“I’m looking forward to be ready to go,” Maye told reporters Thursday. “This is the game you dream of playing in, so looking forward to getting out there and getting a chance to play in the Super Bowl.”

Barring any serious changes, Maye plans to take the field on Feb. 8 against the Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye watches teammates during practice, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.

“I think it’s just been one of those things where it’s a long season,” Maye said. “Sometimes, things show up. I’ll do whatever I can to, you know, feel 100% and I’m sure I’ll get if not there as close as I can or 99[%] or do whatever I can to make sure, I’m throwing and, like I said, do whatever I can to help the team win.”

Vrabel told reporters Thursday his level of concern was “not much.”
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is tackled by Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga

That’s a sigh of relief to Patriots fans, who would be staring down a quarterback tandem of Josh Dobbs, who took first-team reps on Friday, and third-stringer Tommy DeVito as the next men up.

“I try not to have a whole lot of concern,” Vrabel said. “I just want to prepare the football team, and make sure that we’re ready and that we have a plan. I don’t want to surprise anybody.”

Maye, in his second season, helmed a massive New England turnaround that saw the Patriots go from the AFC East basement at 4-13 to the cusp of a title following a 14-3 regular season.

He emerged as a legit MVP candidate after throwing for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns against eight interceptions, leading the league with 113.5 passer rating and 77.1 QB rating.