Patriots quarterback Drake Maye won't have offseason shoulder surgery

Quarterback Drake Maye revealed to the media at his final press conference that he won't require offseason shoulder surgery.

"Time is the best healer," Maye said. "I definitely just need time off. Nothing that needs anything to be done."

Maye injured his right throwing shoulder during the Patriots' 10-7 win in the AFC Championship Game over the Denver Broncos. The quarterback scrambled for a 13-yard run. He slid awkwardly when Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga landed on top of Maye. The right shoulder took the punishment. The shoulder hurt enough to the point where Maye took a pain-killing injection before their 29-13 loss. 

"My arm was feeling great all year," Maye said. "I don't think throwing was the [issue]. It's a case of having one hit in the AFC Championship Game that was unfortunate timing.

"You can't blame things on injuries. Things happen like this all the time in the league. I was blessed this year -- what a year of health. You can't zone in on one little thing on the shoulder -- it was just unfortunate that it happened to be the throwing one. At the same time, I could have prevented it or made more plays. I was feeling like I was able to make throws in the game and was myself."

Maye wasn't at his best during the Super Bowl. He went  27-of-43 for 295 yards, along with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked six times by the suffocating Seahawks defense. Regardless of how healthy he was or wasn't, no excuses are coming from Maye. He vows to be back better than ever next season.

"It stings. It's going to sting for a while," Maye said. "It's what makes this sport special. We were close, and you got to try to find that extra edge. I didn't play as well as I would have liked down the stretch, but I'm going to promise to do my best to work hard and get us back to those moments in those games."