LOS ANGELES — Seventeen years. That’s 272 regular-season games, thousands of hits absorbed in the pocket, and one Lombardi Trophy already in the case. But until Thursday night, the individual hardware had always eluded Matthew Stafford.
The wait is officially over.
In a room packed with legends at NFL Honors, the 38-year-old Rams gunslinger finally heard his name called as the 2025 Associated Press NFL MVP. Stafford didn’t just win; he survived a razor-thin vote against Patriots sensation Drake Maye to cap one of the most prolific statistical seasons of his life.
The Numbers: A Statistical Renaissance
Stafford didn’t coast to this award on reputation. He torched the league. The veteran led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, commanding a Rams attack that finished as the league’s No. 1 scoring and total offense.
Voters recognized the dominance, but barely. The final tally was a nail-biter:
- Matthew Stafford (Rams): 366 points (24 first-place votes)
- Drake Maye (Patriots): 361 points (23 first-place votes)
Stafford’s precision was surgical. He posted a 109.2 passer rating (2nd in NFL) and racked up a league-leading 236 first downs. Perhaps most impressive was his efficiency: he became just the third player in history to throw for 45+ touchdowns with fewer than 10 interceptions in a single season, joining Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in that exclusive club.
“A Humbling Thing”
The moment carried extra weight as Hall of Famer Steve Young handed Stafford the trophy. For a quarterback who has spent nearly two decades chasing greatness, the scene was almost overwhelming.
“I sat in my seat and watched all these Hall-of-Famers come up in front of me… Steve Young giving me the award. I have so much respect for the guys that built this game before us. Tonight was an unbelievably humbling thing for myself, but it’s really not about me. It’s about our game. It’s about this shield right here.” — Matthew Stafford, 2025 NFL MVP
While Stafford tried to deflect the praise, his head coach wasn’t having it. Sean McVay, who has now seen his quarterback reach the pinnacle of both team and individual success, spoke to the emotional weight of the night.
“Just really happy for somebody that’s such a humble superstar. Me and Veronika were here for one reason, and that was to be able to see the light shine on a guy that really deserves it and never wants it… He just makes everybody better, including myself.” — Sean McVay, Rams Head Coach
The “MVP” chants that had echoed in the Rams’ locker room for weeks—chants Stafford often shied away from—are now validated facts. “I really did mean it when I thought, ‘man, these guys should have their name on this thing too,'” Stafford admitted. “But I loved every minute of it.”
The 2026 Outlook
This award shifts the narrative for the upcoming 2026 season. Stafford has proven his arm isn’t just “live”—it’s elite. With the Rams returning the league’s top offense, the window for a second Super Bowl run is wide open. For Drake Maye and the Patriots, the narrow loss signals the arrival of a new AFC superpower, setting the stage for a potential heavy-weight collision next fall.
Stafford has the ring. Now he has the MVP. The only thing left? Doing it all over again.
