New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is going to the Pro Bowl thanks to a technicality.
Maye officially advanced to the games after the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes opted out. Allen suffered a wrist injury in the conference championship round, while Mahomes will be playing in Super Bowl LIX.
Mac Jones (2021) is the only other rookie quarterback in franchise history to make the Pro Bowl.
Maye passed for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his rookie campaign and added 421 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns. New England appears to have itself a franchise quarterback, though his first involvement in the annual all-star event would have meant a bit more if he earned it on the first go around.
The Patriots had only one other Pro Bowl selection in 2024, though Brendan Schooler opted out due to injury and was replaced by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Miles Killebrew. Matthew Judon (2022, 2021), Matthew Slater (2021), J.C. Jackson (2021) and Jones (2021) were the last four players to make the Pro Bowl for New England.
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Featured image via David Butler II/Imagn Images