When New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye steps onto the field at the 2026 Super Bowl, he’ll be doing so at a stadium that holds unforgettable memories for him and his father.
A decade before he guided New England to a surprising Super Bowl berth, Maye, 23, was just a Carolina Panthers fan with a dream.
“We are obviously big Panthers fans,” Drake’s dad, Mark Maye, told the Charlotte Observer on Thursday, January 29. “So Drake said, ‘Dad, hey, if they go to the Super Bowl, can we go?’ Probably like a lot of dads, I said, ‘If the Panthers make the Super Bowl, we’re going.’”
Well, the Panthers did just that.
Carolina earned a trip to the Super Bowl in 2016, where they faced off against the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the same location as Super Bowl 2026.
So, Mark took Drake, who was a 13-year-old middle schooler at the time, all the way out to California for the big game. However, there was one big problem — they didn’t have any tickets.
Mark eventually secured some through some unconventional means, which led to some hesitation that the father-and-son Super Bowl trip might be ruined.
“We had to go meet some guy somewhere,” Mark recalled. “And we were just hoping that the tickets were real.”
The tickets were, thankfully, legit, and the pair sat high up in the end zone to watch the Panthers ultimately lose to the Broncos, 24-10.
Drake and the Patriots are hoping for a better outcome when they face the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, February 8.
“Amazing how that worked out,” Mark said of the coincidence.
The Maye family will be well-represented at the big game, with Mark, his wife, Aimee, and their three other sons — Luke, Cole and Beau — all planning on attending. It’s going to be a close call for Luke, 28, who currently plays professional basketball in Japan.
“He’s going to hopefully get in Sunday morning and then leave Monday morning,” Mark said. “That’s the latest that we’ve heard, anyway.”
The Patriots shocked the NFL by finishing with a 14-3 record and winning the AFC East for the first time since 2019, which preceded their AFC Championship victory over the Broncos on Sunday, January 25.
“Like everybody, I’m surprised they made the Super Bowl,” Mark admitted. “Now I thought they’d be better than what people were expecting. I’m a little more optimistic — maybe a little biased — about all of my kids’ teams and always have been. Honestly, it wouldn’t have surprised me for them to make the playoffs. But to make the Super Bowl? That’s pretty tough to do.”
Mark noted that Drake and the Patriots were “fortunate” to beat the Broncos, 10-7, on a snowy and blustery day in Denver to earn their Super Bowl spot.
“That one wasn’t pretty Sunday,” Mark said. “All of the boys and I used to say, ‘We don’t care if we win 3-2 or 50-49.’ Well, that one was almost 3-2.”
