Before an ankle injury ended Jack Gibbens’ 2024 campaign with the Tennessee Titans, he faced Drake Maye and the New England Patriots in Week 9 at Nissan Stadium.
Although the Titans came out on top 20-17 in overtime, Gibbens remembers being impressed with Maye’s play when he lined up across from his future teammate.
“Definitely came out of that game with a ton of respect for him, the team as a whole, just kind of how they fought,” Gibbens told reporters at Gillette Stadium, per team-provided video. “And Drake specifically, his mobility was on full display against us. We couldn’t keep him in the pocket. He was running all over us.”
Gibbens especially remembered the final two-minute drive Maye executed to tie the game for New England.
“You could see kind of the competitiveness, the creativity he has with that last touchdown, scrambling around, making it happen,” Gibbens said. “So, definitely came out of there with a lot of respect for his game and the team as a whole, for sure.”
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The undrafted linebacker made 14 tackles in the Tennessee win and registered a sack in the game. Gibbens admitted he has not had the opportunity to troll Maye about the hit.
“I honestly forgot about that,” he said. “I think that was my only sack last year. I haven’t brought that up, but I definitely will have to now.”
Gibbens signed a one-year deal with the Patriots in March after three seasons with the Titans. He originally signed with the Tennessee in 2022, making his debut as a member of their practice squad before being upgraded to a standard contract. The Titans eventually turned to him as a starter, where he totaled 167 tackles and 1.5 total sacks across 29 games.
