FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Drake Maye is officially headed to the Super Bowl. Following the New England Patriots’ gritty 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship this past Sunday, a decade-old photo of a young Maye standing next to NBA icon Stephen Curry has taken over social media. The kid from Huntersville who once looked up to the “Baby-Faced Assassin” is now the face of a new dynasty in New England.
The Huntersville Connection and a Rise to Stardom
The image captures a moment of sports history hiding in plain sight. Long before Maye was dissecting NFL secondaries, he was just another kid from North Carolina with a legendary sports pedigree. In the photo, a collegiate-aged Steph Curry stands with a beaming Maye. At the time, Curry was beginning his ascent with the Golden State Warriors, but his roots remained deep in the Charlotte area where the Maye family is considered athletic royalty. Seeing Maye go from a pint-sized fan to the second-youngest quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl is the kind of script Hollywood usually rejects for being too perfect.
The journey hasn’t been a cakewalk. The Patriots were 4-13 just one season ago. Under head coach Mike Vrabel, they’ve pulled off a “worst-to-first” turnaround that culminated in a frozen Empower Field at Mile High. Maye didn’t need a 300-yard passing clinic to punch his ticket to Santa Clara. In a Denver blizzard where visibility was near zero, the young signal-caller leaned on his legs. He accounted for the game’s only touchdown on a quarterback keeper and finished with 65 rushing yards on 10 carries. While the passing line—10-of-21 for 86 yards—looks like a relic from the 1940s, the win is a masterclass in situational football.
“I remember just wanting to be like those guys. Seeing Steph, seeing my brothers—it teaches you what it takes to win. You see that picture and it reminds you of where you started, but we aren’t finished yet. The job is only halfway done.” — Drake Maye, New England Patriots Quarterback
The Super Bowl LX Rematch: Patriots vs. Seahawks
The win sets the stage for a historic rematch against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on February 8. It’s a repeat of the Super Bowl XLIX classic, though the faces have changed. Instead of Brady and Wilson, it’s Maye and Sam Darnold. The Patriots are chasing their record-breaking seventh Lombardi Trophy, looking to break a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
New England enters the matchup as a slight favorite, largely due to a defense that held Denver to just a single score in the AFC title game. However, the Seahawks’ explosive offense, which put up 31 points against the Rams, will be Maye’s biggest test to date. For the kid in the photo, the transition from spectator to protagonist is complete. The only question left is whether he can bring the ring back to Foxborough.
