Drake Maye Gets Ripped for What He Said About Justin Herbert Before Wild Card Game

With the New England Patriots set to host the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round next Sunday, every word coming out of Foxborough has been dissected. After all, this is the first time since 2021 that the Pats are making a postseason appearance. But what is making the most noise is an answer from Drake Maye about Justin Herbert.

Following the regular-season finale, the sophomore Patriots quarterback was asked about the upcoming playoff matchup and his thoughts on Chargers star QB Herbert. Maye’s response was polite, respectful, and, at least in his mind, harmless.

“I don’t know if I’ve met Justin… I know him through people and heard great things. Obviously, I love his game. Love the way he throws the football… I have a lot of respect for Justin,” Maye said. In an ideal world, this should have been the end of it. Instead, it lit a fuse.

Within minutes, fans began tearing into Maye online, questioning how a quarterback preparing for a postseason matchup against Herbert could claim he wasn’t sure if they’d ever met. Especially when he played against the Chargers last season and struggled hard in that outing.

“He was completely concussed in that Chargers game so makes sense he doesn’t remember,” one fan wrote, referencing Maye’s rookie-year injury.

Another added, “Yeah if I got my a** beat I’d choose to forget too.” Others were even harsher, mocking the phrasing of his answer and suggesting it reflected poorly on his awareness.

During his rookie season, Maye suffered arguably the lowest moment of his first year in the NFL against the Chargers. New England was demolished 40-7 in a nationally embarrassing loss, a game in which the North Carolina product struggled badly before leaving after taking a brutal hit that resulted in a concussion. Maye ended the game with 117 yards and a TD.

While it is true that Herbert didn’t play that game, what adds to the confusion is the fact that there are photos from that day showing Herbert greeting Maye postgame.

So, did Drake Maye lie about meeting Herbet?

To be fair, Maye didn’t say he never met Herbert. He just said he didn’t know if he had, and then clarified that his understanding of Herbert came more from reputation than relationship.

In NFL terms, that distinction matters because QBs often “meet” dozens of players in fleeting postgame moments without ever truly knowing them. Moreover, a handshake after a blowout loss isn’t exactly a foundation for familiarity.

There’s also another, the more human explanation fans could not resist pointing out: memory loss. Maye was concussed in that Chargers game. The idea that he might not vividly recall the end of that afternoon or might prefer not to became its own running joke.

So, whether Maye genuinely meant he doesn’t know Herbert, whether he was subconsciously distancing himself from a painful rookie memory, or whether the concussion jokes hit uncomfortably close to home, the quote has now become part of the buildup to one of the most exciting playoff matchups.

Safe to say, either the Patriots will end up getting revenge, or Herbert may end up reminding Maye who he is.