Key Points<\/p>\n
Matthew Stafford won the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award for the 2025 season, narrowly beating Drake Maye by one first-place vote.
\n Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards, 46 touchdowns, and the best touchdown-to-interception ratio, becoming the fourth quarterback to throw 50+ touchdowns including playoffs.
\n Stafford announced his return for the 2026 season during the NFL Honors ceremony, joining 14 other quarterbacks with both MVP awards and Super Bowl rings.<\/p>\n
Matthew Stafford\u2019s journey through the 2025 NFL season culminated in a moment that will be etched in league history. On February 5, 2026, the Los Angeles Rams quarterback was crowned the AP NFL Most Valuable Player at the NFL Honors ceremony in San Francisco, an accolade that not only cements his legacy but also sets the stage for a compelling next chapter in his storied career.<\/p>\n
Stafford, 37, edged out New England Patriots\u2019 rising star Drake Maye in the closest MVP race since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair famously shared the award in 2003. The final tally? Stafford received 24 of 50 first-place votes, while Maye captured 23. The razor-thin margin underscored just how remarkable both quarterbacks were this season, but it was Stafford\u2019s consistency and leadership that ultimately tipped the scales.<\/p>\n
What made this MVP season so special for Stafford? For starters, he became the first quarterback since Tom Brady in 2007 to lead the NFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and touchdown-to-interception ratio all in one campaign. He finished with a league-best 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, tossing only eight interceptions. In the playoffs, he added to his tally, bringing his total touchdowns for the season\u2014including postseason\u2014to an eye-popping 52. That made him just the fourth quarterback in league history to throw for at least 50 touchdowns in a single season, and one of only three to manage that feat twice in a career. Talk about rarefied air!<\/p>\n
Stafford\u2019s leadership didn\u2019t just show up in the stat sheet. After the Rams\u2019 narrow loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game, his wife Kelly posted a touching video of Stafford tucking their four daughters into bed. It was a poignant reminder that, for all the on-field heroics, Stafford is just as much a champion at home. That sentiment was front and center at the NFL Honors, where Stafford arrived on the red carpet with his wife and their four daughters\u2014twins Sawyer and Chandler (8), Hunter (7), and Tyler (5)\u2014all dressed in matching sparkly dresses and carrying bedazzled football-shaped purses. The family\u2019s coordinated look turned heads and stole hearts, with Stafford escorting two of his girls down the carpet as Kelly followed with the other two.<\/p>\n
Inside the ceremony, Stafford\u2019s family continued to be his biggest supporters. When he accepted the MVP trophy, he brought his daughters to the stage and delivered a heartfelt message: \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 According to the Associated Press, this was Stafford\u2019s way of announcing his return for the 2026 season\u2014a decision eagerly anticipated by Rams fans after speculation about possible retirement.<\/p>\n
Stafford\u2019s MVP win places him among an elite group of quarterbacks. He\u2019s now the 15th in NFL history to own both an MVP award and a Super Bowl ring as a starter. Of the 14 who came before him, all but one are either already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or are considered locks for future induction. As CBS Sports observed, \u201cIt was the only missing piece of Stafford\u2019s Hall of Fame resume, and now it is a critical addition that separates him from other quarterbacks he could find himself on the Hall of Fame ballot with in the next five to 10 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk numbers. Stafford\u2019s career now boasts 64,516 passing yards and 423 touchdowns\u2014figures that stack up with the best of his era. He\u2019s also the oldest quarterback to win his first NFL MVP and to lead the league in passing touchdowns for the first time, both at age 37. And he\u2019s the third player in league history to post three seasons with 40 or more touchdown passes, joining legends Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Not bad for a player once dismissed as a \u201ccompiler\u201d during his long tenure with the Detroit Lions.<\/p>\n
Of course, Stafford\u2019s journey hasn\u2019t been without its share of heartbreak. The Rams\u2019 loss to the Seahawks in the NFC title game was a tough pill to swallow, especially after such a dominant season. But if there\u2019s one thing this season has shown, it\u2019s Stafford\u2019s resilience\u2014on and off the field. That sentiment was echoed by teammate Puka Nacua, who offered a unique congratulatory gift: \u201cYou and your wife can go out on a date night. Matthew. I\u2019ll watch your kids. I\u2019ll probably have to hire a nanny, but I\u2019ll be at your house, and can at least watch your house.\u201d The gesture, as reported by The California Post, was classic Nacua\u2014earnest, funny, and quietly profound, reflecting the camaraderie and mutual respect in the Rams\u2019 locker room.<\/p>\n
The NFL Honors ceremony itself was a night of celebration for more than just Stafford. Myles Garrett took home the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award after setting a new single-season sack record with 23. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba edged out Christian McCaffrey for Offensive Player of the Year, while Mike Vrabel became the seventh coach to win Coach of the Year with two different teams. McCaffrey, meanwhile, made history as the first running back in 24 years to win Comeback Player of the Year. Other award winners included Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger (Defensive Rookie of the Year), Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (Offensive Rookie of the Year), and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (Assistant Coach of the Year).<\/p>\n
Stafford\u2019s MVP campaign was a testament to perseverance, family, and the power of a second act. After more than a decade in Detroit, where playoff wins were elusive, he\u2019s found new life and new glory in Los Angeles. And now, with his MVP trophy in hand and his family by his side, Stafford has made it clear he\u2019s not done yet. \u201cOh yeah, I\u2019ll be back,\u201d he told the AP. \u201cIt 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<\/p>\n
As the Rams look ahead to another season with their MVP quarterback at the helm, Stafford\u2019s legacy grows ever brighter. Whether or not another Super Bowl is in the cards, he\u2019s already secured his place in NFL lore\u2014and in the hearts of his family, teammates, and fans alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Key Points Matthew Stafford won the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award for the 2025 season, narrowly beating…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":733433,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2079],"tags":[7,1014,58,2444,2611,6,424],"class_list":{"0":"post-733432","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-rams","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-los-angeles","10":"tag-los-angeles-rams","11":"tag-losangeles","12":"tag-losangelesrams","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-rams"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116023732754649535","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733432","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=733432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/733433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}