Video: Patriots QB Drake Maye speaks after beating Chargers on Jan. 11
The Patriots advance in the NFL playoffs after beating the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
If you attract enough attention in the NFL, you get a nickname.
Chief’s quarterback Patrick Mahones is the “Magic Man.” Tom Brady was TB12 and eventually the GOAT. There have been names like “Sweetness” for Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, “Broadway” for New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath.
Names like “Legatron,” “The Refrigerator,” “The Minister of Defense, “Muscle Hamster” and even “The Galloping Ghost.”
But New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has managed to get a nickname unlike anyone else’s: Drake “Drake Maye” Maye.
Why is Drake Maye’s nickname Drake “Drake Maye” Maye?
That is a really great question. And honestly, like the slang term 6-7, it’s a bit of a mystery. A USA Today informal poll of the Patriots locker room found none of the other player’s really knew how the nickname was formed.
“I have no clue,” quarterback Tommy DeVito told USA TODAY Sports. “I think it’s just something that caught fire on TikTok or whatever.”
Kicker Andy Borregales said he uses the name, but isn’t sure where it came from.
“It is a nice touch, makes it funny,” Borregales said. “but, you know, I don’t know what it means.
“I don’t know how it became a thing, why it became a thing, but we love it.”
However, while there isn’t an official answer there is a gut feeling many people have about the time. Essentially, the thought is that the sophomore quarterback is so good that his own name is a nickname, as For the Win put it.
What does Drake Maye think of the nickname?
In an interview posted to YouTube, Maye said he thought the name wasn’t very “unique” but was “clever.”
“It’s funny. It gets you a laugh,” he said. “No one really knows what it means. I’m for it. I’m not against it. I think it’s pretty cool.”
It’s a good think he’s cool with it because the name has caught on. Even Brady is using it.
“”It was a huge game from Drake “Drake Maye” Maye,” Brady said in November when the name started catching on. “It’s an awesome nickname.”
Chris Bumbaca contributed to this report.
