Drake Maye was one of the first players picked in the 2024 NFL draft, and his then-girlfriend, Ann Michael Maye, was by his side when he joined the New England Patriots.
“Drake, words cannot describe how proud I am of you,” Ann gushed via Instagram in April 2024. “What an incredible blessing it has been to be by your side through all of this❤️ I love you and can’t wait for this next chapter!”
Drake, who previously was the quarterback for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, was drafted by the Patriots in the first round. While making strides on the football field, Drake and Ann got engaged in January 2025 before tying the knot in June 2025.
The newlyweds had a wild first year of marriage, including Drake leading the Patriots to his first Super Bowl appearance with a win against the Denver Broncos in January 2026. Ann was by her husband’s side every step of the way — including two snow-filled playoffs ahead of the February 2026 Super Bowl.
Keep scrolling for a look at Drake and Ann’s sweet love story:
January 2020
Drake posted his first Instagram photo with Hudson on New Year’s Day in 2020.
“Bringing in ‘20 with a 10🤤,” he captioned a photo of the pair standing cheek to cheek.
August 2020
“Somewhere on a beach 🏖,” the football player captioned a photo of him and Hudson enjoying a trip to Isle of Palms, South Carolina.
August 2021
Drake gave Ann a shout-out as she prepared to embark on a new chapter of life.
“Happy 18th to my girlfriend & best friend. Enjoy your day and college move in 🥰I love you❤️,” he wrote alongside two pictures of the couple, one of which was seemingly a prom photo.
July 2022
The twosome posed by the ocean together in a photo dump shared by Drake.
May 2023
“Spring Bling✨,” Drake wrote alongside a photo of the duo dressed up for a formal event. The athlete donned a crisp suit with a bowtie while Ann wore a cream-colored, spaghetti-strap dress with a multilayered skirt.
April 2024
Ann showed her support for Drake ahead of the NFL draft.
“Today’s the day!” she wrote via her Instagram Story alongside an ESPN video of Maye, per Sportskeeda. “So excited for you @drakemaye.”
On the big day, Ann attended the ceremony with Drake when it was revealed he’d be joining the Patriots.
August 2024
Ann attended one of Drake’s first NFL games. “Just the beginning,” she captioned an Instagram pic of the couple on the sidelines.
January 2025
The couple got engaged when Drake dropped to one knee in a gorgeous oceanfront proposal.
“Love doing life with you,” Drake shared via Instagram. “Can’t wait to marry you!”
June 2025
Drake and Ann didn’t waste much time tying the knot, getting hitched six months after their engagement.
“What a night! Cheers to forever🥂I love you!” Drake wrote via Instagram, sharing a series of photos from their ceremony.
August 2025
“Happy birthday to my better half, my best friend, and lucky enough to call you my wife❤️ I love you,” the NFL player wrote via Instagram on August 11 while celebrating Ann’s birthday.
A few weeks later on August 30, Ann toasted Drake’s birthday, writing via social media, “Happy birthday to my forever person❤️ I love you more than you know and am beyond lucky to be your wife! So thankful I get to do this life with you🥰.”
November 2025
During the 2025-2026 NFL season Ann started to go viral on TikTok for her cooking skills — especially when her videos featured her husband or were about feeding the football player.
A November 5 video of Ann’s spiced apple cider donut loaf was viewed more than 175,000 times within one week and received more than 550 comments.
“Ann love the baked goods but make sure Drake doesn’t overindulge. Need him to be quick on his feet,” one fan replied. “Thank you for taking care of Drake Maye, First Lady of New England,” another read.
The following month, Ann hosted a “Merry Bakemas” baking countdown where she cooked a sweet treat or bread ahead of the holidays. Drake was a frequent taste tester and guest in the TikTok series.
January 2026
Drake gave fans a glimpse at his home life with Ann during a January 21 press conference, revealing they are both pretty competitive.
“She started playing mahjong,” Drake said. “I haven’t gotten into that. Something like that. Playing Battleship or cards or anything that goes off of me playing her.”
He noted that the couple picked up playing tennis in the offseason and love to make a game out of it. “She’ll try anything we can compete in. She’s a great athlete,” Drake added.
Later that month, Ann was by Drake’s side when he led the Patriots to a victory over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, securing a spot in Super Bowl LX — the first of his career.
While most fans were thrilled to see the Pats make their way back to the big game, others couldn’t stop talking about Drake’s body language towards Ann after the January 25 victory.
Ann Maye, Drake Maye, Hunter Henry and Parker Elizabeth Schmidly. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
“Why does he always seem so standoffish around her? She was so excited,” one user wrote in the comments section after the NFL shared a video of Ann congratulating Drake after the game where he appeared to be looking everywhere but at his wife who is trying to hug him.
A separate user noted, “He looks like he couldn’t care less that she’s there — and this is coming from a die hard patriots fan. It hardly looks like a couple celebrating going to the Super Bowl. Awkward.”
“I’m sure that he loves her. He’s just locked in,” one fan wrote in defense of the player. “He knows that he has one more game to win.”
Ann, for her part, didn’t appear to be phased by the critics, sharing her own celebratory post via Instagram on January 26.
“WE ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!❤️💙❤️💙 Words can’t even begin to describe how proud I am of you, #10!!!! Watching your dreams come true is the biggest blessing and I love you!!!!!” she captioned a series of photos with Drake, who looked happy to be by her side.
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