One of the routine divides among sports fans is centered around each season’s Most Valuable Player award.
Should the sports writers vote for a player who contributed to the success of their team the most, or prioritize one who put up the best overall numbers? How can fans define what the true value a player provides for their team is? How much do variables such as player age or team rosters impact who fans believe deserves the win?
This NFL season has been no different than most seasons when it comes to a fierce MVP race between two well-deserving candidates.
In one corner stands the New England Patriots’ 23-year-old superstar quarterback Drake Maye, who has propelled his team back into Super Bowl contention in just his second season. In the other corner stands the Los Angeles Rams’ future Hall of Fame quarterback Matthew Stafford, who at the ripe age of 37 in his 17th NFL season, has a shot at the first MVP of his storied career.
Each quarterback has strong reasons as to why they deserve the MVP this season, but what will tip the scales? Now that the regular season is over and they’ve staked their claim to the award, it’s time to read between the lines.
Drake Maye – Daniel O’Toole
It’s rare to see a player this early in their career put up a season like Drake Maye had, especially considering the train wreck of an organization the Patriots were just one season ago. Maye’s added value alone for New England easily surpasses Stafford’s value for the Rams.
In his rookie season, Maye inherited one of the weakest offenses in the NFL that finished 30th in points scored and 31st in total yards in 2024. If you dared to watch any Patriots games at the beginning of that season, when Jacoby Brissett was under center, you were better off watching paint dry because that would at least move more than the offense.
But during the 2025 season, Maye spearheaded New England’s improbable return to relevance after going 14-3, claiming the second seed in the AFC and the team’s first division title since 2019. Maye finished with a league-leading 4,846 total yards and 72% completion percentage, which is also the fifth-best mark for a season in NFL history. Maye led the NFL with a 113.5 passer rating, 77.3 QBR, 8.9 yards per attempt, and 9.46 adjusted yards per attempt as well, along with 35 total touchdowns.
Maye also had 492 passing attempts to Stafford’s 597, yet still put up comparable numbers. Even with the extra 105 attempts, and considering a slightly lower yards per attempt, Maye is still throwing for more yards. Something else to critique Stafford for this season is his eight passing touchdowns from one yard away, an area where most teams will simply run the ball because of the close distance; Los Angeles took the opportunity to boost Stafford’s numbers.
The common knock against Maye’s case for MVP has been the easy schedule he had to go against, which makes Stafford’s numbers better by default. Still, that hasn’t put down MVP winners in the past.
The 2015 Carolina Panthers had the easiest strength of schedule the season when quarterback Cam Newton won his MVP, but we don’t belittle him. And in 1999, the St. Louis Rams’ MVP Kurt Warner had an easier schedule than New England this season.
Maye was truly the more valuable and better player than Stafford this season. He didn’t get to throw to all-pro receiver Puka Nakua or future Hall of Fame receiver Davante Adams on offense. Yet, he dazzled fans every week with perfect throws where only his receivers could catch the ball. It would be a crime, however, to ignore the dominance of Drake Maye this season and say he has to wait his turn for the MVP.
Matthew Stafford – Peyton Rhoda
While Drake Maye has performed far above expectations this season, he is not the MVP of the league.
Stafford is clearly the Most Valuable Player of the 2025-26 NFL season. His stats stand alone as the clear frontrunner. Stafford leads the NFL in passing yards with 4,707 and passing touchdowns with 46, and has the best offense in the league. He did all of this while simultaneously playing one of the hardest schedules in the league. The NFC West was a gauntlet this year, with three teams finishing with 12 wins or more.
Stafford led the league in every meaningful passing statistic, played the best teams in the league, and still dominated. If that is not MVP worthy, then what is?
Maye fanatics will often come at Stafford’s MVP case and bring up cherry-picked advanced passing statistics. Maye’s yards per attempt is higher by 1 yard, his QB rating is slightly above Stafford’s, and his expected points added (a stat that I have never seen before) is 170 to Stafford’s 110. The only real stat where Maye has an edge over Stafford is in completion percentage, which is a league-leading 72% compared to Stafford’s 65%. The Patriots also have two more wins than the LA Rams, but wins are a team stat.
Supporters of Maye often point to Newton’s MVP year, in which he had the easiest schedule and won the MVP. What they forget to mention, is that Newton statistically had the best season in the league that year with 4500 total yards and 45 total touchdowns, which defeats that argument.
The statistics speak for themselves. However, I didn’t mention just one little point that has helped Maye become the breakout star of the NFL. The Patriots had the easiest schedule in the NFL, playing the bottom of the league week in and week out. Maye boasts a powerful one win over an opponent with a winning record. It’s easy to dominate when you play the equivalent of UMASS’ football team every week.
NFL fans often look back at last year’s MVP race with disgust, one that Josh Allen won when Lamar Jackson was the clear MVP. Let’s not do a repeat of that this year. Maye will get his eventually, but for now, it is Stafford’s award.
