Drake Maye surprises New England Army veteran with tickets to Super Bowl LIX
FOXBORO -- Drake Maye and the New England Patriots won't be playing in the Super Bowl this year. But the rookie quarterback is sending an Army veteran from New England to New Orleans next month.
Maye teamed up with USAA and The American Legion to surprise Sgt. Matt Jabaut with two tickets to Super Bowl LIX. Jabaut now lives in Lewiston, Maine, and served as a combat medic in the Army from 1997-2005.
Jabaut has been a Patriots fan for his entire life, and thought he was doing an interview to discuss The American League when Maye surprised him with a trip to the Super Bowl:
After giving him the tickets, Maye thanked Jabaut for his service. Jabaut gave the quarterback a tour of The American Legion and then got to throw a football around with the rising NFL star.
Maye and Jabaut will be reunited before the Super Bowl at the USAA Salute to Service Lounge. Jabaut revealed that he'll be bringing his fiancé Caroline, who served in the Navy, as his guest to Super Bowl LIX.
"It was awesome and a lot of fun getting to surprise Sgt. Matt Jabaut in Portland, Maine, with the news that we were sending him and his fiancé to the Super Bowl," said Maye. "Knowing my grandfather served, I have so much respect and gratitude for the men and women who've served our country, like Staff Sgt. Jabaut. I'm so excited to have teamed up with USAA and The American Legion to gift Matt this once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I'm looking forward to seeing him again in New Orleans!"
Drake Maye's rookie season with Patriots
New England drafted Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he took over as the team's starter in Week 5. The 22-year-old went 3-9 as the starter, connecting on 66.6 percent of his passes for 2,2276 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 421 yards on 54 attempts and two touchdowns.
He's been busy this offseason. In addition to handing out some Super Bowl tickets, Maye also got engaged to his longtime girlfriend after his rookie season came to an end.
