Drake Maye Had Classy Gesture For Mike Vrabel After First Win As

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 2:07 PM

drake maye had classy gesture for mike vrabel after first win as

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye may have just won the first game of his second NFL season, but he's thinking about his first-year coach Mike Vrabel first and foremost. After defeating the Dolphins 33-27 in a back-and-forth thriller, Maye revealed to reporters that he kept the game ball to give to Vrabel as a memento of the coach's first win at the helm. Specifically, Maye saved the football he used while kneeling out the clock, then handed that over to the Pats' equipment manager to give to Vrabel, per Boston Herald reporter Andrew Callahan. Drake Maye saved the football he used to kneel the clock out today and handed it to the #Patriots lead equipment manager so Mike Vrabel could receive it in the post-game locker room to... pic.twitter.com/5rU6ay5tAY For New England, the win wasn't the sleekest win—but they got it done.

Maye himself finished with 230 passing yards and two touchdowns, as well as one rushing TD. The New England Patriots went out on Sunday and gave it their all, doing what they could to secure a tough divisional win over the Miami Dolphins. And that they did. But Drake Maye helped make the moment extra special for one very important member of the Patriots organization. After taking the knee on the final play of the game, Maye rushed right over to the team’s equipment manager, making sure that the ball was kept safe so it could be given to... Maye wanted to make sure he got the game ball from his first win as head coach of the Patriots.

“I took that football out, the one I (took a knee) there and gave it right Stick our equipment guy, and let coach get that ball,” Maye said. “Said that means a lot and I think it means a lot to him. So it took everybody, but he’s leading the charge and that meant something to do that.” Robert Kraft then handed him the game ball in the locker room, earning a huge cheer from the staff. And he also handed out some game balls to the players who impacted Sunday's game in a huge way. The New England Patriots picked up a 31-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 7, and while all wins are important, it’s clear that this one meant a little bit more to head...

That wasn’t something that was lost on Drake Maye after the game. Vrabel initially got his start as a head coach in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, as he spent six seasons with them from 2017 to 2023. During that time, he led them to the playoffs three times, but after a couple of rough seasons in 2022 and 2023, he ended up getting fired. After spending a year without a head coaching gig, Vrabel found his way to the Patriots, which is where he spent eight seasons of his 14-year playing career. And in just seven games, Vrabel has helped completely change the direction of the franchise. While he refused to acknowledge that this game was important for him, the way Vrabel’s tenure came to an end in Tennessee made it clear to everyone that he wanted to win this one.

Sure enough, the Pats came out on top, and after the game, Maye gave his head coach a game ball in the locker room. On Monday, Vrabel spoke on Maye’s heartwarming gesture. “I appreciate it,” Vrabel said of Maye awarding him a game ball after the team’s win over the Titans on “The Greg Hill Show.” “I’m happy for these guys. I’m happy that they can see success, and they can feel it, and they’re excited. A lot of great personal achievements, and most importantly, the team achievement.” New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has with no doubt, won new head coach Mike Vrabel’s confidence, but for Vrabel, it long preceded the 9-2 start.

“I came here because of the familiarity. I came here because of Drake,” Vrabel told the Amazon postgame show crew via NBC Sports Boston. “I knew what he would be, and it was important for me to come here. And that’s someone I wanted to coach. And so building a program is about that. It’s about putting great people around your really good players.

That’s what Drake is for us.” Maye carved up the New York Jets defense in a 27-14 win on Thursday, the team’s eighth-straight. It led to chants of MVP from the crowd, a fan base that once saw Patriots legend Tom Brady dominate the league for two decades and win three regular season MVPs. Maye was part of that postgame conversation with Amazon, and he expressed his appreciation of Vrabel, who came in and re-tooled the Patriots after back-to-back 4-13 seasons. Vrabel once played for the Patriots during the Brady era, and Vrabel went on to coach the Tennessee Titans before his current position. “It means the world.

It goes both ways,” Maye said. “I can’t thank coach enough for what he’s done, what he’s gonna do for my career, for my life. He brings it every day. He said this, and he’ll text me later tonight about something I could have done better in the game. He’s constant, he’s awesome, and we love playing for him. I love playing for him.”

Send this article to your social connections. Send this article to your social connections. FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots might be dreading what awaits on Monday when it comes to the film review after their 24-23 win over the Falcons. New England still managed to come away with a victory on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, but the Patriots whiffled on multiple chances to deliver a knockout blow against the Falcons — letting them hang... Even with Drake Maye getting knocked for two turnovers — directly leading to 10 Atlanta points — and New England’s defense running into issues with both generating pressure (one sack against Michael Penix Jr.)... The New England Patriots pulled out a win in their Week 2 game against the Miami Dolphins.

"It took everybody. Special teams, offense, defense, trainers, everybody who helps us out," Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said. "That one felt good." This Sunday victory marks the first win after a five-game string of losses for the Patriots in Miami. The last time New England had won against the Dolphins in Miami was Sept. 15, 2019.

The win was all the first for Mike Vrabel in his new position as head coach. “I took that football out, the one I (took a knee) there and gave it right Stick our equipment guy, and let coach get that ball,” Maye said. “Said that means a lot and I think it means a lot to him. So it took everybody, but he’s leading the charge and that meant something to do that.” Mike Vrabel spent the 2024 season serving as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns before he became the top candidate of last winter's head-coach hiring cycle. While numerous stories at the time linked Vrabel with the Las Vegas Raiders, it's now known that he always intended to become the New England Patriots' next head coach following the rookie season of...

Under Vrabel and Maye, the Patriots improved to 9-2 on the season via a 27-14 win over the New York Jets on Thursday night. After that victory, Vrabel opened up about the events that led him back to New England during the offseason. "I came here because of the familiarity," Vrabel explained, per Chris Mason of MassLive. "I came here because of Drake. I knew what he would be, and it was important for me to come here. And that’s someone I wanted to coach.

And so building a program is about that. It’s about putting great people around your really good players. That’s what Drake is for us." Vrabel and quarterback Tom Brady earned three Super Bowl rings as teammates with the Patriots from 2001-08. While Vrabel was inducted into the Patriots' Hall of Fame in the fall of 2023, that was before Brady was officially approved as a minority owner of the Raiders. The New England Patriots bounced back from a season-opening loss with a come-from-behind victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Drake Maye made sure to commemorate the occasion with a nice gesture for Mike Vrabel: “It’s awesome, just rallying around coach,” Maye said following the game, per team-provided video. “I know how much he cares about us, how much of a player’s coach he is. I took that football that I kneeled it out with, handed it right to (Preston “Stick” Rogers), our equipment guy, and we’ll get coach that ball… I think it’ll mean a lot to him. It took everybody, but obviously he’s leading the charge and that meant something special.” Vrabel, of course, secured his first victory as the organization’s head coach during the game and probably would have gotten one anyway.

Maye did more than enough to contribute to the momentum-building win, playing perhaps his best game as a professional and totaling three touchdowns and zero interceptions on the afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.

Drake Maye Had Classy Gesture For Mike Vrabel After First Win As

People Also Search

Patriots Quarterback Drake Maye May Have Just Won The First

Maye Himself Finished With 230 Passing Yards And Two Touchdowns,

“I Took That Football Out, The One I (took A

That Wasn’t Something That Was Lost On Drake Maye After

Sure Enough, The Pats Came Out On Top, And After