FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Drake Maye is dealing with an illness and did not practice Friday, the latest wrinkle in the New England Patriots quarterback’s preparation for the AFC champions’ upcoming Super Bowl matchup with the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.
Patriots first-year head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Maye sat out after the second-year pro was not spotted during the limited period at the beginning of workouts that is open to reporters. It came a day after Maye was listed as a limited participant in practice with a shoulder injury. Vrabel said both issues kept him off the field Friday.
Maye was at the team facility, however, and able to participate in team meetings. Vrabel said Maye responded “favorable” after Thursday’s practice in which he did some throwing — and would have practiced Friday if not for the illness.
Vrabel reiterated that he isn’t concerned about Maye’s availability going forward.
“Nope. We’ve had a lot of guys over the last month or six weeks with illness,” Vrabel said. “Again, trying to do what’s best for the player and the team. And try to take care of guys (and) don’t spread things, but we’ve worked with this here for the past six weeks.”