Super Bowl champion. Pro Bowler. Sixth all-time in passing yards and completions. Seventh in passing touchdowns.
But after Thursday night, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford can add another title to the list: MVP.
For the first time in his 17-year career, Stafford was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player during Thursday’s NFL Honors ceremony in San Francisco. And in accepting the award, he announced that he will be returning for an 18th season.
“I can’t wait for you to cheer me on next year when we’re kicking ass,” Stafford said to his four young daughters, who took the stage with him to accept the award.
“I’ll see you guys next year,” he told the audience, while making tentative plans for next February when the Super Bowl will be played at SoFi Stadium. “Hopefully I’m not at this event and we’re preparing for another game at SoFi (Stadium).”
Stafford edged New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye in the closest MVP race since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-winners in 2003. Stafford received 24 of 50 first-place votes while Maye got 23 from a panel of media members coordinated by the Associated Press.
Following the Rams’ NFC championship game loss to the Seahawks, Stafford declined to answer questions about his future. Rams head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead said this week that the franchise will wait and allow Stafford the time he needs to make the decision on his future.
Now with Stafford’s intentions clear, it remains to be seen if he will seek to renegotiate his contract. The quarterback is in the final year of his contract and is due $40 million in 2026. And after winning the MVP award, Stafford, 37, could seek a pay raise or to add years to his contract.
In August, it wasn’t clear if Stafford would be ready to play to start the season. An aggravated disk in his back kept him out of practice for the first several weeks of training camp, and there were days when he didn’t even stand on the sideline with the team.
But after he returned to practice with three weeks until Week 1, Stafford never came off the field. Not for a veteran rest day, not to nurse his back during a practice. Instead, he played in all 17 games for the first time since 2021.
Stafford went on to lead the NFL in passing yards (4,707) and touchdown passes (46) this season while playing some of the most efficient football of his career. Across a nine-game stretch in the middle of the season, he threw for 28 touchdowns without an interception.
He also elevated his teammates, with Puka Nacua leading the league in receptions (129) and Davante Adams in receiving touchdowns (14), despite both missing time with injuries.
That level of play continued into the postseason. During the Rams’ run to the NFC championship game, he threw for 936 yards and six touchdowns with one interception. He led two game-winning drives in the postseason, throwing for a go-ahead touchdown to Colby Parkinson to beat the Carolina Panthers and putting the Rams in field goal position to beat the Chicago Bears in overtime.
“What you don’t see is that he’s in that office right next to me in that quarterback room at 5:45 every single morning starting his prep, being able to impact and influence the questions, the intrinsic motivation, the ability to be able to give confidence to the other 10 guys because he truly is an extension of the coaching staff,” McVay said Monday of Stafford’s season. “He’s the epitome of an igniter. He’s just this incredibly humble superstar that has the ability to make everybody feel better when you’re around him.”
First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the 2024 NFL MVP, received two first-place MVP votes, and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert got the other one.
Stafford finished with 366 points to Maye’s 361. Allen placed third with 91 points, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (71) was fourth and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (49) came in fifth.
The AP also named Stafford to its All-Pro first team this season, another first for his career. He was also named MVP and first-team All-NFL by the Pro Football Writers of America.
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