Central to New England’s turnaround is Drake Maye, a 23-year-old in his second year who has helped fuel a dramatic rise after going 4-13 in both 2023 and 2024, before guiding the team to a 14-win season this year.
Maye’s climb has attracted attention beyond Patriots fans, including praise from former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who spoke about the young quarterback on FS1’s First Things First.
Roethlisberger said Maye has a legitimate chance to break his “youngest quarterback” record, and he admitted he’s rooting for Maye, though he’s hesitant to fully back a Patriots victory.
The former Steelers signal-caller is intimately familiar with the pressure of a young QB leading a franchise deep into the postseason, having won a pair of Super Bowls with Pittsburgh, including at age 23 in 2005. Maye, also 23, is younger than that milestone.
As context for the debate, Roethlisberger’s Steelers and other longtime contenders underscore how few franchises have claimed more than five Super Bowl titles—while the Cowboys and 49ers each sit at five—adding further intrigue to Maye’s looming matchup.
This summary reflects reporting from ClutchPoints, which captured Roethlisberger’s remarks on Maye and the evolving Patriots storyline.
