STAFFORD WINS MVP AT 37, MAKES HISTORY AS OLDEST FIRST-TIME WINNER

Matthew Stafford just made history in the most dramatic way possible. The Rams quarterback edged Drake Maye by just five points to earn his first MVP award in one of the tightest races in NFL history, making it the closest MVP vote since 2003 when Steve McNair and Peyton Manning tied. At 37 years and 331 days old, Stafford became the oldest player in league history to win his first MVP award, passing Rich Gannon who had just turned 37 when he won his first MVP in 2002. This isn't just a late career surge. This is unprecedented. ## The Vote That Almost Wasn't Stafford received 24 first-place votes to Maye's 23, with Josh Allen getting two first-place votes and Justin Herbert receiving one. The margin was razor thin. If the voter who gave Herbert a first-place vote had put Maye first instead, the Patriots quarterback would have won MVP over Stafford. One vote. One ballot. That's what separated Stafford from watching someone else accept the award he'd never won in 17 NFL seasons. ## Numbers Don't Lie Stafford led the NFL in both passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46) this season, while Maye led the league in completion percentage (72 percent) and passer rating. But Stafford's efficiency was elite too. He threw just eight interceptions while recording a career-high passer rating of 109.2. Stafford became the first quarterback to lead the NFL in pass yards, pass touchdowns and TD-INT ratio since Tom Brady in 2007. That's the company he's keeping now. ## Canton Calling This MVP award puts a bow on Stafford's career and makes him a virtual lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's the 15th quarterback in NFL history with both an NFL MVP and Super Bowl title, with 10 of the other 14 already having gold jackets. Stafford capped his acceptance speech by announcing he'll return for the 2026 season, telling the crowd "I can't wait to have you cheer me on next year when we're out there kicking ass." At 38, he's not done making history.