CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Charlotte native Drake Maye led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl, and will become the second-youngest quarterback to ever start football’s biggest game.
Maye and the Patriots punched their ticket to Super Bowl LX with a 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in a snowy AFC Championship game on Sunday, Jan. 25.
The 23-year-old Myers Park High School graduate was named a finalist for NFL MVP this past week, and now has a chance to give the Patriots their seventh Super Bowl title — which would break a tie for the most all time.
New England will take on the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in California. It’s the same stadium where the Panthers lost to the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Maye — who grew up a Panthers fan — was at the infamous game.
Maye’s impressive play was a big reason why the Patriots went from 4-13 in 2024 to 14-3 in 2025. A dual-threat quarterback, he finished third in passing touchdowns during the regular season and fourth in yards. Among quarterbacks, he had the fourth-most rushing yards and sealed the AFC Championship with his legs.
A former UNC Tar Heel, Maye said after that Broncos game that going to the Super Bowl “sounds pretty good.”
“I think we still haven’t played our best football yet in these playoffs and I’m looking forward to seeing that and hopefully having that click and win the Super Bowl,” he said in his postgame press conference. “That’d be pretty cool.”
The native Carolinian will go against a player familiar to Panthers fans in Super Bowl LX. Sam Darnold — who played for the Panthers from 2021-2022 — is the Seahawks’ starting quarterback.
Maye isn’t the only player with deep Carolina roots to be playing in the Super Bowl. Patriots center Garrett Bradbury is from Charlotte as well, played high school football at Charlotte Christian, and then collegiately at NC State.
Like the Patriots, the Seahawks also went 14-3 in the regular season.
FanDuel had the Seahawks listed as 4.5-point Super Bowl favorites on the morning of Jan. 26.
Charlotte native Drake Maye led the Patriots to an AFC Championship win to reach Super Bowl LX.(John Locher | AP)
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