Updated Feb. 6, 2026 / CBS LA
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was voted the 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player on Thursday, narrowly defeating New England’s Drake Maye and Buffalo’s Josh Allen.
Stafford finished with 366 points to Maye’s 361, earning 24 first-place votes to Maye’s 23 in a tight balloting. The 37-year-old signal-caller guided the Rams to a 12-5 regular-season record and a berth in the NFC Championship Game, where Los Angeles fell to the Seattle Seahawks in the closing seconds of regulation.
This is Stafford’s first MVP award after 17 NFL seasons and bolsters an already Hall of Fame-caliber resume. With receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, Stafford led the league with 4,704 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns, posted a career-best 109.2 passer rating and threw just eight interceptions for the second straight year. He also set an NFL mark by throwing 28 consecutive touchdown passes without an interception.
After accepting the honor, Stafford credited his teammates and coaches, saying his name will be on the trophy but that many others deserve recognition. He called the Rams a special team and, while acknowledging the season didn’t end as hoped, pledged to return next year with the goal of contending again at SoFi Stadium.
Stafford also paced postseason quarterbacks ahead of Super Bowl LX, leading all players in completions (66), passing touchdowns (6) and passing yards (936). He earned First-Team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career and was selected to his third Pro Bowl. Following the Rams’ Jan. 27 loss, Stafford had said he would take time to consider his future; at the MVP ceremony he indicated he plans to play on.
At 37, Stafford is tied with Peyton Manning and Rich Gannon as the third-oldest player to win NFL MVP, behind Tom Brady (40 in 2017) and Aaron Rodgers (38 in 2021). His career totals now include 423 touchdown passes, 5,562 completions and 64,516 passing yards, each ranking among the top 10 all-time.
The other MVP finalists were:
– Drake Maye, New England: The 23-year-old second-year quarterback finished with 4,394 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns and a league-leading 113.5 passer rating, and added 450 rushing yards with four rushing scores. Maye was the only MVP finalist to reach the Super Bowl this season.
– Josh Allen, Buffalo: The reigning MVP helped the Bills to a 12-5 record, throwing for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while contributing 579 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
– Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville: Lawrence engineered a dramatic turnaround for the Jaguars, who improved from 4-13 a year ago to a 13-4 finish and an AFC South title. He threw for 4,007 yards and 29 touchdowns and added 247 rushing yards and nine rushing scores.
– Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco: The only non-quarterback finalist, McCaffrey piled up 2,126 all-purpose yards and 17 total touchdowns, helping an injury-plagued 49ers team return to the playoffs. He was also a finalist for Offensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.
Rams receiver Puka Nacua was named a finalist for Offensive Player of the Year as well.