The 23-year-old New England Patriots quarterback puts his “faith first,” and says, “There’s no better feeling than coming home to a wife that loves you.”
“Faith, family, and football. That’s me to a T. I think in that order,” New England Patriots star quarterback Drake Maye said at last Monday’s media availability for the Super Bowl.
“I’m a follower of Jesus Christ,” he added. “It’s the biggest thing in my life. And keeping that at No. 1, and knowing that that is what’s gotten me here and what helps me get here.”
The 23-year-old Maye indeed led his team to football’s biggest stage this Sunday, the youngest since Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (2006) and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino (1985) both played in the Super Bowl at 23 as well.
Playing with a sore shoulder that limited him to one preparatory practice and required a painkilling injection right before the game, Maye’s Patriots lost to a relentless Seattle defense that hit him 11 times and sacked him six of those times.
“It hurts, no doubt — definitely hurts,” said the emotional young quarterback after the game. Maye took responsibility for needing to “make better throws.” He also expressed pride in his teammates and gratitude for their special season after only winning four games last year.
Maye has also expressed appreciation throughout the season for the support of his longtime girlfriend and new bride, Ann Michael Maye.
‘No better feeling than coming home to a wife that loves you’
Forget about high school sweethearts — Drake and Ann have been close since middle school. “It’s special,” Drake Maye said about their relationship during Monday’s media availability. “Our journey together starting in middle school, and her watching my middle school football games playing quarterback, to now getting a chance to watch me in the Super Bowl.
“I wouldn’t rather do it with anybody else.”
The longtime couple got married last summer in North Carolina. “Getting married is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life,” he said at the Monday media event. “Good things happen when you get married, and I think that’s the case so far in my life.”
“What a blessing it’s been to have Ann Michael, and to come home to someone who cares about my day,” he added, emphasizing how valuable it was to be “able to hear something outside football ... just knowing that there’s a constant in my life, and that’s my wife.”
Heartfelt answer from Drake Maye on how marriage has helped him this season: pic.twitter.com/sjfBGzyoca
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) February 3, 2026
“There are so many ways that marriage has helped” him this year, Maye emphasized, smiling about how he has to make sure to pick up his stuff around the house now. The young star also expressed appreciation for not having to worry and “scramble to have dinner late at night. She’s got it ready — and I don’t take that for granted and know how special that is to my career and life.”
Ann Michael has made a name for herself by publicly sharing crafting projects and baking recipes with 500,000 TikTok followers, while joking that the Patriots’ offensive line is her main target. Talking about the thank-you notes she receives from these big men, she shared in a January 2026 video, “It’s so funny, it’s, like, ‘Just keep feeding us. We need to protect your husband, so we need to keep on the extra weight.’”
“Drake, words cannot describe how proud I am of you,” Ann Michael wrote on social media following the 2024 NFL draft. “What an incredible blessing it has been to be by your side through all of this.”
“Love doing life with you,” wrote the NFL star on Instagram when they got engaged a year later. “Can’t wait to marry you!”
“There’s no better feeling than coming home to a wife that loves you,” Drake Maye told the media this week before the Super Bowl.
While acknowledging that “my teammates have a right to do whatever they choose,” the quarterback added, “I definitely would advise them to eventually get married. It’s one of the best things in life. It’s one of the best things I’ve experienced in my life.”
“I chose to get married young, and I don’t regret it one bit.”
‘A constant in my life’
Many athletes and football players have spoken about the importance of faith in their lives. For instance, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has described Jesus Christ as “everything to me” and someone he “looks up to every day to decide what I want to do with my life.”
In addition to talking about his wife as a “constant” in his life, Drake Maye discusses his faith in the same way. When asked about his relationship with Christ at a Wednesday media event, Maye told Sports Spectrum: “It’s a constant in my life. Knowing that that’s bigger than football has been such a thing for me to lean on and take my thoughts away from football and know that this is my purpose and this is why I’m here on this stage today.”
“Being able to shine a light on others and get them to follow Jesus Christ is what I’m here for and what God put me here to do.”
"Being able to shine light on others and get them to follow Jesus Christ is what I'm here for."
— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) February 4, 2026
We talked to New England Patriots QB Drake Maye at Super Bowl LX media availability pic.twitter.com/ZIHaoigIHe
In December, Maye was asked on the WEEI 93.7 radio program whether he’s ever hesitant to share his faith. The quarterback repeatedly called this focus the “biggest thing” — “using my platform to spread the word and spread the good news.”
“That’s one of the biggest things that I’ve tried to work on in my career, use my platform to inspire young kids or inspire even older people that may not be into their faith as much.”
At the earlier Monday media event, Maye again emphasized “putting (his) faith first” — elaborating on what he sees as his purpose:
“I can shine light on others, hopefully leading them to a relationship with Him or doing whatever I can to help lead them to Jesus Christ, knowing how their life can change and what it can do for them.”
Category: General Sports
