Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had an evening of historic proportions on Thursday, February 6, because the signal-called was awarded the coveted NFL MVP award. Stafford, who was the franchise quarterback for the Lions from 2009 to 2020, won the award after years of work with both the Lions and, for his most successful run, the Los Angeles Rams.
When he was accepting his award, Stafford called his wife, Kelly Stafford, his rock.” He also talked about how happy he was that his four daughters could be there to help him celebrate the win.
“I want to let you know the sacrifices. I see you. I love you,” Stafford said. “I appreciate you very much. And to my four beautiful daughters, who I’m lucky enough to be sharing the stage with: Chandler, Sawyer, Hunter, Tyler, I’m so happy to be able to teach the blessings and those lessons of this game to you guys, through you guys. You’re unbelievable cheerleaders for me. I appreciate it.”
At the end of his speech, Stafford did something unexpected and announced that he plans to return to the Rams for an 18th season next year. Then, he once again shouted out to his family. “I am so happy to have [my daughters] at the games on the sideline with me, and I can’t wait for [them] to cheer me on next year when we’re out there kicking…” he said.
Ex-Detroit Lions Quarterback Matthew Stafford Gets Dissed After Winning MVP
So, Stafford was all smiles on Thursday night, but his runner up perhaps was not. Drake Maye of the New England Patriots was only a handful of votes behind Stafford, and his team was pretty protective of their signal-caller.
After the MVP news surfaced, the Patriots took to X to send out a message about their quarterback. It was a bit of a diss at Stafford, but hey, Stafford is the winner of the MVP in the end. “Bigger trophy on the mind,” the team stated on social media, photo of a photo of Maye.
Followers were quick to comment. “No Super Bowl ring or MVP after Sunday despite having the easiest schedule in history,” one said on X, standing up for Stafford. “Love that mindset, regular awards cool but the big one hits different,” another said.
Another added, “100%. The only award that means anything is the Lombardi.” One more said, “45-6 Seahawks.” That last one stings for the Patriots.
The NFL MVP Votes By the Numbers and Statistics
The Los Angeles Rams are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, January 25, which ended with a 31-27 final score and no trip to the Super Bowl. But, Stafford led them to a 12-5 record and trip to the NFC Championship.
So, Stafford got 24 of 50 first-place votes and finished with 366 points. Maye scored 23 first-place votes and finished with 361 points. That marked the closest race since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-winners in 2003.
As for the other votes, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the 2024 MVP, got two first-place votes, and Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert snagged the others. Allen finished third in race, followed by San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Former Lions QB Matthew Stafford Called Out After MVP Win