New England Patriots QB Drake Maye (smile)

Drake 'Drake Maye' Maye meme: How Patriots QB became focus of viral trend from 'DrakeMayeLover' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“Broadway Joe” Namath. “Joe Cool” Montana. “DangerRuss” Wilson.

A nickname for an NFL quarterback is typically reserved for superstars -- the transcendent passers who become heroes for their franchise, delivering wins, playoff appearances, and Super Bowls. Nicknames, at least catchy ones, aren’t handed out to just any quarterback. They’re earned by fans, adding another layer of mystique and aura to the name of the most important player on their favorite team.

The New England Patriots have had their own budding star at quarterback, a player who went from a 4-13, 10-interception rookie campaign in 2024 to the top of the NFL MVP race in 2025, throwing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns along with 450 yards and four scores on the ground. Those are nickname-worthy numbers. And the sophomore star may have earned the blandest, yet most unique, nickname of them all.

Drake “Drake Maye” Maye has cemented himself as one of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks at age 23, dubbed with the simplest moniker that somehow spread like wildfire: his own name.

How did Drake Maye’s “Drake Maye” nickname come to be? Here’s the story of the account “DrakeMayeLover” and how a humorous obsession with the Patriots quarterback became a social media sensation.

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What does Drake 'Drake Maye' Maye mean?

Have fun trying to find any real meaning behind Drake Maye's simplistic nickname. Drake "Drake Maye" Maye spawned from nothing more than jokes and memes — if there's any meaning, it's just a reflection of the quarterback's stardom. Meaning: Drake Maye needs no cool, elaborate nickname. He's simply Drake Maye.

"I think it's pretty clever. I mean, it's not very unique. I think it's some account or something [that made it]," Maye told NBC in December. "The guys call me that in the locker room. It's funny. ... Nobody really knows what it means."

The somewhat confusing nickname's origin can be traced back to a fan page for the former UNC star. A social media account called "DrakeMayeLover," which can be found on X and Instagram, is responsible for Maye's name-turned-nickname gaining traction.

As Maye has become an NFL star in the 2025 season, at the top of the MVP race alongside Matthew Stafford, the account "DrakeMayeLover" has blown up, as has Maye's nickname.

"[Maye is] just him. Like, he's unapologetically him. He is the same guy he was coming out of college that he is now. He's just a great guy, like, it's hard to not like him," the owner of the "DrakeMayeLover" account told The Sporting News. "He's always saying the right thing, he's always doing the right thing."

"If you're a good guy, easy to root for, and then you also happen to be one of the best players in the NFL, people are going to gravitate towards you."

Who created the Drake 'Drake Maye' Maye meme?

The creator of the Drake "Drake Maye" Maye nickname was a social media account called "DrakeMayeLover." The owner of the account, a 22-year-old from Massachusetts who chooses not to reveal his name publicly, has produced endless content that's solely about appreciating one Patriots player: their quarterback. 

"DrakeMayeLover" said he grew up a Patriots fan. After the team drafted a quarterback with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, with Maye being the the target "DrakeMayeLover" wanted all along, memes about Maye became an inside joke between the owner of the account and his friends. 

Those memes wound up being shared among an audience much larger than the owner of the account's friend group. As of the start of the 2026 NFL Playoffs, "DrakeMayeLover" has over 54,000 followers on X, plus over 309,000 followers on Instagram — and the entirety of his content is flooding timelines with memes about loving Maye, showcasing the quarterback's outstanding 2025 stats and highlights, and leaving simple "Drake Maye" messages in the Patriots' comment section.

"I think my fourth post got like, a million views or something, and I was like, 'Okay, maybe there is something here. Like, maybe people do think this is pretty funny,'" the owner of the account told The Sporting News. "It kind of caught fire pretty instantly."

As for the Drake "Drake Maye" Maye nickname, the owner of the account said he took some inspiration from the way other sports fans had created humorous name-turned-nicknames for athletes.

"I think Naz Reid was the first where they were calling him Naz 'Naz Reid' Reid. And then there was also Giants fans doing it with Evan Neal," the owner of the "DrakeMayeLover" account said. "It kind of just started as a joke in my comment sections, like we're all just saying Drake 'Drake Maye,' Maye, and then it just caught on as well ... everyone started using it."

The accounts for "DrakeMayeLover" have been around for over a year, but they've especially gained traction throughout the 2025 season. There's good reason for that — Maye has blossomed into one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league, set to headline plenty of NFL MVP ballots, if not win the award. New England has re-emerged as an AFC powerhouse thanks to Mike Vrabel and Maye.

Could a similar fan account for a Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen or Justin Herbert have gotten so much attention online? Maybe, the owner of the "DrakeMayeLover" account thinks, but he partially attributes the success of his account to Maye himself becoming a top quarterback. 

"I think it kind of just caught the perfect storm," the owner of the account said. "I already had this account going, and then the timing of when he became an NFL player, one of the best players in NFL. With this account, just the timing, it might be once in a blue moon."

MORE: Drake Maye's family tree, including former QB dad and UNC basketball star brother

Drake Maye reaction to DrakeMayeLover tweets

In August, the "DrakeMayeLover" account had already been a pest in the Patriots' social media accounts' comment sections for months. All over New England's feed, no matter the platform, comments reading "Drake Maye" could be found.

Eventually, the man himself took notice.

Just days before the 2025 regular season officially began, the Patriots posted a video of Drake Maye reacting to "DrakeMayeLover" tweets. When asked if he had heard of the account, Maye said: "I have, yes."

"Like if you agree, and it's just a picture of myself," Maye said with a laugh. "We need to chill out here."

The owner of the "DrakeMayeLover" account saw that video as his idol read his posts, then shared a message.

"Greatest day of my life," the post said. 

"That was the first time that he really acknowledged it," the owner of the "DrakeMayeLover" account told The Sporting News. "I was getting a bunch of comments being like, 'Yo, the Patriots posted something about you. And I was like, 'What are you talking about?' And I saw the video. I mean, I was pretty surprised. I wasn't expecting that to happen."

Maye has acknowledged the account and the nickname it created, "Drake Maye," plenty of times since then. NBC asked him about his nickname in December. ESPN has also questioned Maye about "DrakeMayeLover," and the quarterback said his wife and friends "always laugh about it."

As Maye's play in the NFL has elevated, the "DrakeMayeLover" and Drake "Drake Maye" Maye jokes have reached new levels of popularity. 

"This was just supposed to be, like, a joke that me and my friends thought was funny," the "DrakeMayeLover" account owner said. "It's kind of surreal."

Was DrakeMayeLover at the Patriots-Jets game?

In Week 17 of the Patriots' 2025 season, they paid a visit to the New York Jets. Maye had arguably his best game of the season, throwing five touchdown passes in a blowout 42-10 victory.

During Fox's broadcast of the AFC East matchup, a camera panned to the crowd, where a young Patriots fan was wearing a sign that said "Fun Drake Maye fact: I love him."

"Maybe he's the owner of the Instagram account 'DrakeMayeLover.' Who knows?" Fox broadcaster Adam Amin said.

While he may have appreciated the publicity, that was not, in fact, the official "DrakeMayeLover" account owner at the game.

"I was just watching the Patriots game, and I just hear the announcer say that might be 'DrakeMayeLover,'" the account owner told The Sporting News. "That was not me."

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Drake 'Drake Maye' Maye memes

There isn't much method to the madness of the "DrakeMayeLover" account's content. If he can  make anything Maye-related, he'll do it.

"If I'm just scrolling the internet, my first thought now is like — my brain's pretty fried to the point where, if I see something, 'How can I make this about Drake Maye?" the owner of the account told The Sporting News. "That's just what I'm thinking about."

"DrakeMayeLover" has even come out with some Maye-related merch, from "I Heart Drake Maye" shirts, to "It's Drake Maye Monday."

"People just kept asking for it," the "DrakeMayeLover" account owner said. "Last year, I decided to make it, and then [in the 2025 season it] just really caught on, because again, everyone started really liking Drake Maye."

The obsession with Maye, including his nickname, has been all about appreciating the quarterback's talents, personality and aura. In a few weeks, there's a chance that Maye joins the exclusive list of MVPs in the NFL at just 23 years old — but he's been in a tight race with Stafford.

To "DrakeMayeLover," there's no debate about who the MVP should be. And he certainly isn't going with Stafford.

"[Maye] not only has [the edge in] the counting stats, besides total touchdowns, but I mean, he has total yards, he has EPA per play, he has all the advanced numbers. But if you also just watch him play, you can kind of tell he's the force that drives the Patriots," the owner of the "DrakeMayeLover" account said. "The Patriots go as far as Drake Maye goes, with not as much help as Matthew Stafford. He doesn't have [Sean] McVay calling plays, doesn't have Puka [Nacua], doesn't have Davante Adams."

"When you watch [the Patriots] play, it's the Drake Maye show."

MORE:The key stats to know in the Matthew Stafford vs. Drake Maye MVP race