{"id":732877,"date":"2026-02-06T07:24:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T07:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/732877\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T07:24:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T07:24:30","slug":"matthew-stafford-edges-drake-maye-for-ap-nfl-most-valuable-player-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/732877\/","title":{"rendered":"Matthew Stafford edges Drake Maye for AP NFL Most Valuable Player award"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 Matthew Stafford walked away with the\u00a0AP NFL Most Valuable Player<\/a>\u00a0award and a declaration that he\u2019s returning to the Los Angeles Rams for another season.<\/p>\n

Stafford edged Drake Maye for the MVP award on Thursday night in the closest race since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-winners in 2003.<\/p>\n

Stafford received 24 of 50 first-place votes while Maye got 23. But Maye has a chance to go home this week with a Vince Lombardi Trophy. He leads the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in the\u00a0Super Bowl<\/a>\u00a0on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Stafford, who turns 38 on Saturday, wants another opportunity to try to win his second Super Bowl ring with the Rams.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah, I\u2019ll be back. It was such an amazing season and I play with such a great group of guys and great group of coaches that I was lucky enough to finish this season healthy, and I wanna make sure that I go out there and see what happens next year,\u201d Stafford told the AP.<\/p>\n

\"LosLos Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford arrives for football’s NFL Honors award show in San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026.(AP Photo\/Brynn Anderson)<\/p>\n

Stafford brought his four daughters \u2014 all dressed in identical black-and-white dresses \u2014 to the stage to accept the award.<\/p>\n

He thanked his team and saved his wife and daughters for last: \u201cYou\u2019re unbelievable cheerleaders for me. I appreciate it. I am so happy to have you at the games on the sideline with me, and I can\u2019t wait for you to cheer me on next year when we\u2019re out there kicking (butt).\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Stafford\u2019s way of announcing he will be back next season after contemplating retirement.<\/p>\n

Myles Garrett was a unanimous choice for the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award after setting a season record for sacks with 23.<\/p>\n

All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba beat out Christian McCaffrey for the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.<\/p>\n

New England\u2019s Mike Vrabel beat out Jacksonville\u2019s Liam Coen for the\u00a0AP NFL Coach of the Year<\/a>\u00a0award, becoming the seventh coach to win it with two different teams.<\/p>\n

\"NewNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel talks to the media during a news conference Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif., ahead of the Super Bowl 60 NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel)(Charlie Riedel | AP)<\/p>\n

McCaffrey became the first running back to win the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 24 years.<\/p>\n

Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger was a runaway winner for the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.<\/p>\n

Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan ran away with the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.<\/p>\n

Patriots offensive coordinator\u00a0Josh McDaniels<\/a>\u00a0won the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in the first season of his third stint with the team.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0nationwide panel<\/a>\u00a0of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began. Votes were tabulated by the accounting firm Lutz and Carr.<\/p>\n

Voters selected a top 5 for the eight AP NFL awards. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.<\/p>\n

Josh Allen, the 2024 NFL MVP, received two first-place MVP votes, and Justin Herbert got the other one.<\/p>\n

Stafford, who earned first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his 17-year career, finished with 366 points to Maye\u2019s 361. Allen placed third with 91 points, Christian McCaffrey (71) was fourth and Trevor Lawrence (49) came in fifth.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s McCaffrey\u2019s second top-five finish in three years, more than any other non-quarterback since the weighted point system was implemented in 2022.<\/p>\n

Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 yards passing and 46 TDs. He threw eight picks and finished second to Maye with a 109.2 passer rating. Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams lost to Seattle in the NFC championship game.<\/p>\n

Maye had 4,394 yards passing, 31 TDs and eight picks. The second-year pro led the league in passer rating (113.5) and completion percentage (72).<\/p>\n

Coach of the Year<\/p>\n

Vrabel can get his first Super Bowl title as a head coach Sunday if the Patriots beat the Seahawks. He received 19 first-place votes to Coen\u2019s 16 and finished with 302 points.<\/p>\n

Vrabel, the 2021 Coach of the Year winner with the Titans, led the Patriots from worst to first in the AFC East, a 10-win turnaround in his first season in New England.<\/p>\n

Coen had 239 points after leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to 13 wins and an AFC South title in his first season.<\/p>\n

Seattle\u2019s Mike Macdonald got eight first-place votes and finished third (191). Chicago\u2019s Ben Johnson received one first-place vote and came in fourth (145). San Francisco\u2019s Kyle Shanahan had six first-place votes to place fifth (140).<\/p>\n

Defensive Player of the Year<\/p>\n

Garrett received all 50 first-place votes to become the ninth player to win DPOY multiple times and second unanimous choice following J.J. Watt, who did it in 2014. Cleveland\u2019s edge rusher also was a unanimous All-Pro selection. Garrett previously won the award in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t just start with me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt starts with great teammates, a great organization, great coaches being able to put us in position. I\u2019m thankful for every single one of teammates to help get me up here. It\u2019s not possible without them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandCleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett excepts the AP Defensive Player of the Year award during the NFL Honors award show, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel)(Charlie Riedel | AP)<\/p>\n

Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. finished second with 77 points, Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons came in third (63) followed by Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto (52) and Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (42).<\/p>\n

Garrett surpassed both Michael Strahan (22.5) and T.J. Watt (22.5) when he sacked Joe Burrow in the final game of the regular season.<\/p>\n

Offensive Player of the Year<\/p>\n

Smith-Njigba got 14 first-place votes to McCaffrey\u2019s 12 and finished with 272 points. McCaffrey, who won the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, had 223 points.<\/p>\n

Smith-Njigba caught 119 passes and led the league with 1,793 yards receiving. He had 10 TDs.<\/p>\n

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, a unanimous All-Pro like Smith-Njigba, finished third with eight first-place votes and 170 points. Falcons All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson was right behind him with six first-place votes and 168 points.<\/p>\n

Comeback Player of the Year<\/p>\n

McCaffrey, San Francisco\u2019s All-Pro do-it-all back, received 31 first-place votes and 395 points, outgaining Aidan Hutchinson. Garrison Hearst was the last running back to win it in 2001.<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey runs for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the second half an NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo\/Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez)(Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez | AP)<\/p>\n

Hutchinson got nine first-place votes and 221 points. Dak Prescott came in third with six first-place votes and 167 points. Lawrence got two first-place votes and finished fourth (130). Stefon Diggs came in fifth (40).<\/p>\n

Philip Rivers and Chris Olave each received one first-place vote.<\/p>\n

McCaffrey played in just four games in 2024 due to bilateral Achilles tendinitis followed by a season-ending PCL knee injury. He returned to play every game for the 49ers and had 2,126 yards from scrimmage and 17 TDs.<\/p>\n

Defensive Rookie of the Year<\/p>\n

Schwesinger received 40 first-place votes and had 441 points to become the sixth player in the last 45 seasons to win the award after not being picked in the first round. Shaq Leonard (2018) and DeMeco Ryans (2006) were the only others in the last 20 seasons. Cleveland selected Schwesinger in the second round at No. 33 overall.<\/p>\n

Versatile Seahawks defensive back Nick Emmanwori got seven first-place votes and finished second (199).<\/p>\n

Offensive Rookie of the Year<\/p>\n

McMillan earned 41 first-place votes after catching 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven TDs.<\/p>\n

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough got five first-place votes and finished second with 168 points, way behind McMillan\u2019s 445.<\/p>\n

Assistant Coach of the Year<\/p>\n

McDaniels received 17 of 50 first-place votes and finished with 249 points. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph placed second with 10 first-place votes and 176 points.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Pro Football Writers Josh Dubow and Mark Long contributed.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NFL:\u00a0https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nfl<\/a><\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 Matthew Stafford walked away with the\u00a0AP NFL Most Valuable Player\u00a0award and a declaration that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":732878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2050],"tags":[7,1167,249,2326,2094,6,20674,208,9],"class_list":{"0":"post-732877","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-england-patriots","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-new-england","10":"tag-new-england-patriots","11":"tag-newengland","12":"tag-newenglandpatriots","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-nfl-honors","15":"tag-patriots","16":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116022494486034132","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=732877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/732878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=732877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=732877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=732877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}