Matthew Stafford Wins First NFL MVP Award

Stafford had a stellar season in which he led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford won his first NFL MVP award. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Matthew Stafford added yet another accolade to his Hall of Fame résumé on Thursday night, and it was a big one.

The 37-year-old Rams quarterback won his first NFL MVP award after a stellar season in which he led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns, and finished second in passer rating. He beat out four fellow finalists, with Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, and Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

When the final votes were tallied, Stafford just beat out Maye in one of the closest MVP races we’ve ever seen.

Stafford put up monster numbers in 2025. He completed 65.0% of his passes for 4,707 yards, with a career-high 46 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His passer rating of 109.2 was also a career-high, and his QBR (71.0) ranked fourth in the NFL. He started all 17 games, and the Rams went 12-5 before winning two playoff games and losing a tight NFC title game to the Seahawks.

In his 17th NFL season, Stafford was named first-team All-Pro for the first time. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler, but had never been named first or second-team All-Pro. He joined teammate Puka Nacua on the first team this year.

The honors he racked up this season, plus the Super Bowl LVI win he led the Rams to back in 2022, have bolstered Stafford’s Hall of Fame case.

Matthew Stafford career statistics

The Lions made Stafford the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL draft, and he played in Detroit for 12 seasons. On March 18, 2021, he was traded to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff, a 2021 third-round pick, and first-rounders in 2022 and 2023. In his first season in L.A., the Rams won the Super Bowl.

In his 17-season career, Stafford has started 239 games. In that time, he has completed 63.5% of his passes for 64,516 yards, with 423 touchdowns, 196 interceptions, and a passer rating of 92.4.

Stafford is currently sixth all-time in passing yards, completions (5,562), and passing yards per game (269.9), and seventh in passing touchdowns. If he returns for the 2026 season, he should continue his assault on the record books. With head coach Sean McVay returning, and his top weapons like Nacua, Davante Adams, Kyren Williams, and Colby Parkinson under contract, plus the 13th and 29th picks in the 2026 draft, L.A. should be in a great position heading into next season.

After such a successful 2025 campaign, it’s hard to see him walking away. Though if he was going to go out, winning an MVP was the way to do it.

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