The New England Patriots have suddenly emerged as one of the top teams in the NFL in 2025. After winning just four games in 2024, the Pats posted a 14-3 record that earned them the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff bracket. While there are several big reasons for this sudden turnaround, the biggest reason of them all has been the play of Drake Maye under center.
In his first full season as a starter, Maye has turned himself into a de facto MVP candidate, with the race seemingly set to be won by either him or Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. On Saturday morning, the 2025 All-Pro teams were revealed, and all eyes turned to the First Team quarterback position to see whether Maye or Stafford earned the honor.
Matthew Stafford Earns All-Pro First Team Spot Over Drake Maye
First team
Offense Quarterback — Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams Running Back — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Fullback — Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco Wide Receivers — Puka Nacua, Los
The battle between Maye and Stafford for the MVP Award has generated quite a bit of debate among fans. Stafford finished the season as the league-leader in major categories, such as passing yards (4,707), passing touchdowns (46), and yards per game (276.9). A closer look at the numbers, though, would seem to favor Maye.
While the second-year stud finished behind Stafford in passing yards (4,394) and passing touchdowns (31), he led the league in several other important metrics. Maye’s completion percentage (72%) was tops in the league, and he also led the NFL in passer rating (113.5), quarterback rating (77.2), and yards gained per pass attempt (8.9). He also racked up 450 yards and four touchdowns on the ground as a rusher.
The MVP Award won’t be announced until February, but an early indicator of where voters are leaning comes in the All-Pro voting. Folks were curious to see which of these guys would land on the First Team, and who would fall to the Second Team. With the results coming out on Saturday, it was revealed that Stafford has earned the First Team spot, while Maye came in on the Second Team.
Does the All-Pro Voting Mean Matthew Stafford Will Win MVP Over Drake Maye?
GettyDrake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots
Maye landing on the Second Team behind Stafford would seemingly indicate that he isn’t in position to take home the MVP Award, but that may not actually be the case. Heck, just last year, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen won MVP over Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, even though Allen earned a spot on the Second Team, while Jackson landed on the First Team. As a result, it’s clear Maye could still take him the bigger of the two honors.
Stafford has seemed to have the inside track to take home the MVP Award for a couple of weeks now, but it really feels like a neck-and-neck race at this point. While individual accolades are nice and all, both guys are going to be more focused on finding a way to lead their respective teams on deep playoff runs. For Maye and the Patriots, their postseason campaign will get underway on Sunday night when they square off against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Drake Maye Gets Snubbed in Favor of Matthew Stafford for Major Award