Matthew Stafford Edges Drake Maye in Historic MVP Vote as Rams Quarterback Wins First Career Award at NFL Honors

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was named the 2025 AP NFL Most Valuable Player during NFL Honors on Thursday night in San Francisco, culminating a remarkable season with his first career MVP award. Stafford barely edged out New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye in one of the closest MVP races in NFL history, receiving 366 points with 24 first-place votes compared to Maye's 361 points and 23 first-place votes. The five-point margin represents the tightest MVP vote since 2003, when Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were named co-winners of the award.

The 38-year-old Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns during the 2025 season, orchestrating one of the most prolific offensive campaigns in Rams history. His performance helped Los Angeles secure a playoff berth and reinforced his status as one of the game's elite quarterbacks, sixteen years after entering the league as the first overall pick. The award comes as validation for a career that has seen Stafford transform from a talented but statistically overlooked quarterback in Detroit to a championship-caliber leader in Los Angeles.

During his emotional acceptance speech, Stafford announced his decision to return for the 2026 season, putting to rest speculation about his retirement. "This means everything to me," Stafford said. "To be recognized by the people who cover this game and understand it at the highest level is incredibly humbling. But I'm not done yet - I'll be back next season ready to compete for another championship." The announcement drew enthusiastic applause from the audience gathered at the Fox Theatre in downtown San Francisco, just days before Super Bowl LX kicks off across the bay in Santa Clara.

The NFL Honors ceremony also featured several other major awards, with Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett earning his second Defensive Player of the Year Award in a unanimous vote. Garrett shattered the NFL's single-season sack record with 23 quarterback takedowns, cementing his legacy as one of the most dominant pass rushers in league history. New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was named NFL Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots to an unexpected Super Bowl berth in his first season with the franchise.

Stafford's MVP triumph caps a remarkable late-career resurgence that began when he was traded from Detroit to Los Angeles before the 2021 season. Since joining the Rams, he has compiled a 52-28 regular season record, won Super Bowl LVI in 2022, and now earned the sport's most prestigious individual honor. With Maye finishing as the runner-up despite being a rookie, the vote highlighted both Stafford's exceptional 2025 campaign and the extraordinary promise of the Patriots' young signal-caller, setting up what could be a compelling quarterback rivalry in seasons to come.