Will Drake Maye Accomplish a Rare Feat and “Pull a Kurt Warner?”

Will Drake Maye win the regular-season NFL MVP award and the Super Bowl this year? if so, he’ll be the first second-year quarterback to accomplish the feat since Kurt Warner in 1999.

Maye is having a brilliant sophomore season. He led the New England Patriots to a 14-3 regular-season record and a trip to the AFC Championship Game. It’ll be interesting to see if he’ll win MVP honors and power New England to their first Super Bowl victory since the Tom Brady era.

Will Drake Maye Accomplish a Rare Feat and “Pull a Kurt Warner?”

Revisiting Kurt Warner’s 1999 Season

Jan. 16, 2010; New Orleans, LA, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner (13) watches from the sidelines during 4th quarter at the Louisiana Superdome. The Saints defeated the Cardinals 45-14. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Only four second-year quarterbacks have ever won the Super Bowl: Kurt Warner, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Russell Wilson. However, Warner is the only one who also won MVP the same year.

Warner’s 1999 campaign was one of the most surprising seasons in sports history. That year, St. Louis Rams starting quarterback Trent Green suffered a torn ACL in the preseason. Warner took over and put together an unbelievable season. He threw for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1%. Warner took home NFL MVP honors as he led the Rams to their first division title since 1985. 

During the playoffs, Warner and Co. defeated the Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before ultimately winning Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans. Warner was awarded the Super Bowl MVP after passing for 414 yards and two touchdowns in the 23-16 win.

Will Drake Maye Do It?

The NFL’s regular season MVP award, of course, hasn’t been presented yet. Players like Josh Allen, Christian McCaffrey, and Trevor Lawrence have had MVP-caliber seasons. However, it’s really a two-horse race between Drake Maye and fellow quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Maye passed for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns during the regular season. He also led the NFL in passer rating (113.5) and completion percentage (72).

Meanwhile, Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. He also finished second to Maye with a 109.2 passer rating. In addition, he led the Los Angeles Rams to a 12-5 record and a trip to the NFC Championship Game.

Rotowire.com believes Stafford has the best chance to win MVP:

“Stafford was named a 2025-26 First-Team All-Pro QB. That all but locks up the award for the 37-year-old. There have only been three instances where the MVP went to a quarterback that wasn’t a First-Team All-Pro selection: John Elway in 1987, Steve McNair in 2003, and Josh Allen in 2025.”

Conor Roche of Boston.com stated that the Patriots’ schedule was one of the easiest an NFL team has had in the last few decades. With that said, don’t look for Maye to win MVP this year.

However, Maye and the Patriots have a great chance at reaching the Super Bowl. The Denver Broncos, whom the Patriots will face in the AFC Championship Game, are without their starting quarterback Bo Nix. The former Oregon star suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Denver’s Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills. Not having to face Nix certainly improves New England’s chances of beating the Broncos.

If the Patriots get past Denver, they’ll have a tough Super Bowl matchup with either the Seattle Seahawks or Stafford’s Rams. The Patriots are good enough to beat either team. Stay tuned, though, to see if Drake Maye “pulls a Kurt Warner” this year.

Main Image: James Lang-Imagn Images