Family is everything for Drake Maye.
As he walked the field at Gillette Stadium for the first time, one day after being selected third-overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Maye family was in tow.
Ann-Michael, Maye's long-time girlfriend, joined him along with his three older brothers as he addressed the media for the first time as a New England Patriot.
"Clowns, three stooges, overrated," Maye joked as they joined him on stage. But behind the jokes came a different sentiment. A simple but finite display of love that told New England the third overall pick was a package deal.
"This is my squad," said Maye with open arms. "If you're getting me you're getting them."
Luke the "role model," Cole the "jokester," and Beau his "best friend," played an integral part in Maye's development as an athlete. Watching his brothers compete, what stood out most was their dedication and work ethic to be the best athletes they could be.
Without knowing it at the time, Maye's life manifested through sports and what they taught him along the way. In representing the Special Olympics in his first year supporting the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative, he's adamant for inclusion in sports so that people of all abilities can participate and soak up these life lessons.
The inspiration for his support came from another set of brothers Maye met in New England.
"I go back to the days of me playing with my brothers (when I was with) with Nick and Brett," Maye said of his first encounter with Nick and Brett Johnson, two local flag football players competing in the 2026 Special Olympics.
"Seeing them kind of do their thing, and their love for one another, it was cool for me to see. It made me think of how much I miss playing with my brothers."
In the days following the NFL Draft, the Maye boys embarked on individual journeys across the world, while Drake absorbed the lifestyle it took to become an NFL quarterback like a sponge. The months came and went with the rookie following the same schedule: wake up, improve, and repeat.
By late summer, Maye was stopped in his tracks by the Johnson brothers, who reminded him why he fell in love with sports in the first place.
Maye welcomed brothers Nick and Brett to the Patriots practice field to kick off their training. Upon arrival, Maye said, they were all business. As 14-year veterans of the Haverhill Stars program, they are familiar with what it takes to have success between the lines. Nick, the eldest of the two, participated in the 2018 USA games as a center, taking home a bronze medal and the motivation to achieve more.
Together, Maye and the Johnsons ran quarterback and receiver drills. Simple three and five-step drops, running routes, sending each other to the endzone and cheering as they made plays. Then it hits him - déjà vu.
"There's nothing like playing beside your blood brother out there," said Maye. "Everybody's always said 'when you're a team, you're brothers,' but when you're playing out there with your real brother it's a different feeling."
The same smile Maye used to have playing with his brothers adorned his face.
Everything was simple. The convicting journey of becoming a professional athlete, and the joy Maye feels when he's playing both blossomed from the same things - three brothers and a dream.
"I just want to thank Nick and Brett for (reminding me of) perspective, fundamentals of the sport and what it means to have fun when you're out there," said Maye.
As a declaration of gratitude, Maye teamed up with UnitedHealthcare to create custom cleats that will feature Nick and Brett's signatures in support of Special Olympics Massachusetts and the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.
With Brett's on his left foot and Nick's on his right, Maye will take the field on Dec. 1, remembering the fun they had, and the lessons he learned from them.
"It'll bring me a reminder throughout the game, Nick and Brett are out there having fun, I need to have some fun out there myself," said Maye. "This will definitely be the most jazz I've had on my cleats in my career, but I'm happy it's for a good cause, and for the Special Olympics in particular."
Each of the three athletes have a lot of training, learning and growth ahead of them. For Nick and Brett it'll be another year and a half before they take the Special Olympics field to compete in the flag football event.
After sharing the field, seeing their work ethic, smiles and even receiving pointers about his drop-back passes, Maye isn't too worried about how team Massachusetts will perform in Minnesota.
"I'm sure if Nick and Brett are on the squad they'll be alright."
