Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has gotten his Super Bowl ring, and could be one step closer to another major honor — a league MVP trophy.
Stafford was named as a first-team NFL All-Pro on Sunday, capping off a stellar season with the Los Angeles Rams. With the honor, many insiders now expect Stafford to roll to his first-ever league MVP honor, putting him ahead of onetime frontrunner Drake Maye of the New England Patriots.
Matthew Stafford Takes Lead in MVP Race
As Wyatt Miller of the Rams’ official website noted, Stafford earned the first-team All-Pro honor thanks to a fantastic individual season where he led the NFL in two important categories.
“Stafford led the NFL in passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46) while throwing just eight interceptions,” Miller wrote. “He is one of two quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 45 touchdowns and eight or fewer interceptions in a season, along with Tom Brady in 2007. He received 31 of 50 first-place votes.”
The All-Pro voters are the same that vote on league MVP, making it rare that a quarterback wins All-Pro without also winning MVP. Last season was one of those rare exceptions, when Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen took home the MVP trophy despite coming in second to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for All-Pro honors.
Reporter Stephen Andress noted that last year’s exception is unlikely to happen again, putting Stafford in control of the MVP race.
“Last year was the first time since John Elway that the first-team All-Pro QB did not win MVP,” Andress wrote in a post on X. “So you can probably now congratulate first-team All-Pro QB Matthew Stafford on winning MVP, since there isn’t some kind of ‘it’s his turn’ angle with Drake Maye.”
Patriots reporter Ben Volin added that the vote disparity between Maye and Stafford is a strong indicator that the former Lions quarterback will take home the MVP trophy this year.
“With Stafford getting 31 votes to Maye’s 18, it seems pretty clear who is going to win the MVP,” the Boston Globe reporter noted in a post on X.
Lions Face Questions Over Super Bowl Window
The blockbuster trade that sent Stafford from Detroit to Los Angeles in 2021 was supposed to transform both franchises, and it did to some degree. The Rams won the Super Bowl in their first season with Stafford at the helm, while the Lions built a title contender around quarterback Jared Goff and the draft picks they received in the trade.
But the Lions fell short of the playoffs this season, raising questions about whether their window for Super Bowl contention with the current roster may have closed.
Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd suggested the Lions will need to do plenty of introspection this offseason, taking a hard look at the roster and coaching staff to see what changes need to be made.
“You have to look in the mirror,” Cowherd said. “In any business — and football is a business — to turn around a sinking ship, you have to self-audit.”
Ex-Lions QB Matthew Stafford Gets Major MVP Update After All-Pro Honor