New England Patriots
“I want to tell Matt Damon he’s the man. … Any Pats fan — I’m a fan.”
Drake Maye fielded questions for over an hour on Monday. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
February 3, 2026 | 6:22 AM
7 minutes to read
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The festivities for Super Bowl LX officially kicked off on Monday, as both the Patriots and Seahawks fielded questions from the media as part of the annual Super Bowl Opening Night event.
In a frantic two hours at the San Jose Convention Center, both the Patriots and Seahawks took in a wide range of questions from the media — touching on both Sunday’s showdown at Levi’s Stadium and …. a lot of other topics.
Here are 10 takeaways from Monday’s press conference.
Drake Maye brushes aside injury questions
For most of the last week, the discourse surrounding the Patriots hasn’t exactly revolved around the X’s and O’s as the team braces for a tough Seattle team.
Instead, most Patriots fans have fretted over the health of Drake Maye — who landed on the injury report last week with a right shoulder injury and missed practice on Friday with an illness.
Speaking on Monday, Maye shared that he was “feeling good” and did practice on Monday afternoon.
“I’ll be just fine. . . . I threw a good bit,” Maye said. “I threw as much as I would at a normal practice,” Maye said. “I felt great, looking forward to getting back out there Wednesday and Thursday for practice again. And Friday, get ready to get a normal week of prep.”
Even if he was limited last week after aggravating his shoulder during the AFC championship game on Jan. 25, Maye said that he’s felt much better since the team arrived in the Bay Area on Sunday.
“I felt good on the flight and throwing out there today — I think I turned a corner,” Maye said. “I really had no doubt at being 100 percent for the game. This is the Super Bowl, we get two weeks to prepare for it and do whatever we’ve got to do to get it right. I’ve got confidence, I feel good.”
Backing up Matt Damon
If one couldn’t tell from previous Super Bowl Opening Nights — like when someone dressed as a bride and proposed to Tom Brady — things tend to go off the rails at events like these.
Monday’s event was far more tame, with only a few reporters dressed as Pokemon truly standing out amid the waves of media around the various podiums at the San Jose Convention Center.
But it was fitting that Guillermo — the sidekick of late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel — got the first question in as soon as Maye arrived at his station.
“Do you want to take a minute to tell Matt Damon he sucks?” Guillermo said, referencing Damon and Kimmel’s long-standing “beef”.
“Matt Damon?” Maye said. “No, I want to tell Matt Damon he’s the man. … Any Pats fan — I’m a fan.”
Ranking ‘Bakemas’ treats
It wasn’t exactly a surprise that Maye fielded plenty of questions about his wife, Ann Michael, and her now-viral baking videos that have taken over social media since the start of the season.
Maye was put on the spot when asked to rank some of her most popular baked teams.
“Cinnamon roll snickerdoodle. She just made those for the linemen this week. That’s my number one,” Maye said. “Puppy chow. I’ll put puppy chow at No. 3. Pistachio bread. It’s good — I’m not a fan. I’ll put that at No. 4. And the Crumbl copycat sugar cookie, I’ll put that at No. 2.”
Unfortunately, Maye was also put on the spot by Will Compton of the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast when asked about his least-favorite snack made by his wife.
“You’re going to get me in trouble,” Maye told Compton. “I wasn’t the biggest fan of these chocolate date bars that she made. Wasn’t a fan of those.”
Respect for Mike Vrabel
Several factors have played into New England’s improbable run to Super Bowl LX. But multiple players were quick to credit Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel for his role in setting the tone for the team before the wins started to pile up.
“Obviously, I’m here in New England because of him,” Harold Landry III said. “So as far as my career, I mean — I’m extremely grateful for everything he’s done for me in my career. On but also off the field, he means a lot to me and my family.”
“Our head coach played the game of football,” Stefon Diggs said. “I don’t think I had a head coach that played the game of football. … He was a dog. He kind of instills that. I feel like our team kind of came with that chip on our shoulder.
“The guys that he picked to be on this team, and how he built it from the ground up. He built it the right way. He made sure that he wanted guys that wanted to win and wanted to protect the team.”
Drake Maye salutes Ann Michael
Beyond the expected comments about his wife’s baking, Maye did get very serious and sincere when asked about his decision to marry his wife while both were still at a young age.
“I chose to get married young and don’t regret it one bit,” Maye, 23, said. “They say good things happen when you get married. I think that’s the case this far in my life. Just what a blessing it’s been to have Ann Michael. I know that I come home to someone that cares about my day and wants to hear about something outside of football. Just listening to what she’s done today and just knowing there’s a constant in my life that’s my wife.
“Every day, I come home to somebody that’s herself and cares about me outside of whatever I am on the field. My teammates, they have the right to whatever they choose, but 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. There’s no better feeling than coming home to a wife that loves you and cares for you and is just worried about your best interests.”
Embracing the underdog role
The odds haven’t exactly shifted in New England’s favor since arriving in California, with the Seahawks still holding court as 4.5-point favorites across several sportsbooks.
That isn’t an issue for the Patriots, who are taking all that discourse as added motivation — especially amongst a defense that has allowed an average of 8.6 points per game across three playoff games this postseason.
“It is what it is,” Jaylinn Hawkins said. “And we’re here. The narratives are going to be narratives . … We just worry about ourselves, like I’ve been saying the past couple of weeks. There’s a narrative every week, and I continue to say that we worry about us, in house.”
How can the Patriots finally change the narrative?
“If we win,” Milton Williams acknowledged. “If we win, they ain’t gonna have no choice. But they’ll probably still find an excuse.”
Maye talks Brady
There was plenty of chatter regarding Maye and his ties to New England’s previous franchise quarterback.
Maye was asked of the greatest lesson that he’s learned from Tom Brady during their previous interactions.
“I’ve met Tom a few times, and one of the best things he says, there’s no shortcuts,” Maye said. “There’s no shortcuts to putting in the work and that the proof’s in the pudding, and knowing that the shortcuts that people take, or try to take — it’s not worth it. You get the most out of what you put into it. And he’s been great at that and he obviously showed that throughout his career.”
However, Maye was candid when asked about which QB he idolized the most growing up.
“I was a big fan of Aaron Rodgers,” Maye admitted.
Thoughts on Bad Bunny
Count Drake Maye among those excited to see that Bad Bunny is performing the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday.
“I saw him in the Adam Sandler movie,” Maye said, referencing “Happy Gilmore 2”. “I know Bad Bunny. I know he’s a big-time artist and I’m a big fan of him. Obviously he sings in a different language. I can’t sing, but I’m a fan of Bad Bunny.”
For Christian Gonzalez, having an artist like Bad Bunny perform on such a stage goes beyond just music and the billboard charts.
“It’s just another opportunity for Latino kids to see that they can reach the biggest stage if they put their mind to it, and really push and and just dream big and you can make it to where you want to be,” Gonzalez said.
Diggs dishes on Cardi B
As expected, Stefon Diggs fielded plenty of questions about his girlfriend, rapper Cardi B.
“After you get your ring, is Cardi getting her ring?” a reporter asked Diggs.
“It’s on the agenda, maybe, right?” Diggs said with a laugh. “I gotta get mine first, though.”
Last month, Diggs expressed gratitude for the support that his girlfriend has provided him during his first season in New England.
“She’s been an amazing support of just me and the Patriots. She wasn’t a football girl before I converted her over,” Diggs said on Jan. 21. “But, I’m just thankful to have her in my corner. She’s an amazing woman, and [we] continue to build that relationship.
“I don’t talk too much about my personal life. But she’s an amazing woman, and I just appreciate her. Hopefully I can build on that and watch that tree grow.”
The worst question of the night?
We have to go with this one to Mike Vrabel.
“Is this a must-win game,” one reporter asked the Patriots head coach.
“I think every time we go out is a ‘must-win’ game,” Vrabel dead-panned. “That’s kind of the attitude I’ve always taken in the National Football League.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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