Bills Central

Did Josh Allen Prevent Drake Maye From Winning NFL MVP Award?

The 2025 NFL MVP award was the closest since 2003, and Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen might have kept Drake Maye from taking home the trophy.
Randy Gurzi|
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen warms up before the game against the New York Jets.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen warms up before the game against the New York Jets. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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Josh Allen is no longer the reigning NFL MVP, but the Buffalo Bills superstar quarterback still finished in third place for his performance during the 2025 season.

Allen finished third in voting with 91 total points and had two first-place votes. Ahead of him was AFC East rival Drake Maye of the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

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Maye finished second with 361 points and 23 first-place votes. Stafford edged him out with 366 points and 24 first-place votes to secure his first-career MVP award. Stafford adds this award to an illustrious career that includes one Super Bowl ring as well as one NFL Comeback Player of the Year award (2011).

This was the closest MVP vote in 22 years, going back to the 2003 vote which ended in a tie between Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair.

Was Josh Allen the reason Drake Maye didn't win the award?

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye talk on the field before their game.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye talk on the field before their game. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Whenever a vote is this close, it's interesting to look at the players who received first-place votes to see how they impacted the end result.

Allen might not have won the title, but he did enough during the season to help the Bills win 12 games and make the playoffs. That led to two votes, which could have significantly impacted the outcome. Had even one of his votes gone to Maye, it could be a completely different conversation.

The same can be said of Justin Herbert, who received one first-place vote. While Allen wasn't considered a favorite for the award, he at least deserved to be in the conversation. As good as Herbert has been throughout his career, his first-place vote has been called controversial.

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Sam Monson, an analyst at The 33rd Team, owned up to the vote, saying Herbert worked miracles with a porous offensive line.

“I was the Justin Herbert vote,” he posted on X. “The guy had the worst offensive line in the NFL all season and despite that he was working miracles in almost every single game.”

In the end, it's hard to argue that Stafford didn't deserve the award. He was one of the most explosive quarterbacks in the league this season and nearly led his team to the Super Bowl for the second time.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford poses with the NFL Honors Most Valuable Player trophy.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford poses with the NFL Honors Most Valuable Player trophy. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Randy Gurzi is a graduate of Arizona State and has focused on NFL coverage since 2014.