With the regular season complete, the MVP race has come down to five finalists, all deserving of the Most Valuable Player award.
Updated NFL MVP 2025 finalists: Who is in the running and when will the winner be announced?
The 2025 NFL regular season is officially in the books, and with it comes the final chapter in the MVP race. After 18 weeks of play, the contenders have narrowed to just five plaeyrs: Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers, Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots.
While Stafford has long been the frontrunner, Maye’s breakout season has made this an exceptionally close contest, giving voters a classic veteran vs young star debate heading into the NFL Honors. Veterans Allen and McCaffrey are also in the race alongside Lawrence, who had his best year yet in the NFL.
The finalists for AP Most Valuable Player presented by @Invisalign! #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/Kj7bRrkk5q
— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2026
But, in our humble opinion, we think it will come down to these two quarterbacks in the end:
Stafford: The stats king
Stafford finishes the season with elite traditional stats that MVP voters historically favor:
- 4,707 passing yards (league-high)
- 46 passing touchdowns (league-high, 12 more than second-place Jared Goff)
- 8 interceptions
- 109.2 passer rating (2nd in the NFL)
The 37-year-old quarterback also led his Rams to a 5-seed in the NFC playoffs, despite missing training camp due to a degenerative back condition. His late-season heroics, including a four-touchdown performance in Week 18, reinforced his candidacy and helped Stafford reclaim MVP favoritism at sportsbooks like DraftKings, where he now sits at -180.
Stafford’s MVP case is strengthened by the level of competition he faced. The Rams played the ninth-toughest schedule in the league, with eight games against playoff teams, and he still delivered at an elite level. While some critics have called out “goal-line stat padding,” his ability to convert in tight situations (14 touchdowns from the 1-yard line on 24 attempts) demonstrates execution, not dumb luck.
Maye: Efficiency and team success contender
On the other side of the debate is 23-year-old Drake Maye, who led the Patriots to a 14-3 record and the AFC East title, cementing the team as the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Maye also delivered impressive efficiency numbers:
- 4,394 passing yards (4th in NFL)
- 31 passing touchdowns (3rd in NFL)
- 8 interceptions
- 113.5 passer rating (league-high)
- 450 rushing yards and 4 rushing TDs
Advanced metrics tell the story of Maye’s remarkable season: he overperformed expected completion percentage by 10.8 points, led in passing EPA, and topped the NFL in QBR. While critics point to the Patriots’ relatively soft schedule (just three games against winning teams), Maye still dominated against common opponents, outperforming Stafford in completion percentage (70% vs. 67.2%), passing yards (1,595 vs. 1,545), and EPA per dropback (0.29 vs. 0.08).
Maye’s ability to excel under both volume and efficiency metrics gives voters a strong counterpoint to Stafford’s counting stats. He remains a +150 underdog at sportsbooks, but his age, style of play, and team success make him a compelling MVP candidate.
Stafford vs Maye: The final comparison
| Stat / Metric | Matthew Stafford | Drake Maye |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 4,707 | 4,394 |
| Passing TDs | 46 | 31 |
| Interceptions | 8 | 8 |
| Passer Rating | 109.2 | 113.5 |
| Completion % | 67.2 | 70.0 |
| EPA / Dropback | 0.08 | 0.29 |
| Rushing Yards | 1 | 450 |
| Big-Time Throw % | 7.4 | 4.9 |
Stafford brings volume, legacy, and counting stats, while Maye brings efficiency, dual-threat play, and team success. The debate encapsulates the perennial MVP discussion: what does “most valuable” really mean?
When will the MVP be announced?
Now that the season is over, the MVP winner is already determined by votes submitted by the 50-member panel. However, we’ll have to wait until after the postseason to find out the results, as the official announcement does not occur until the NFL Honors ceremony during Super Bowl week, held on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.
So even though postseason play won’t matter, fans and analysts will continue debating the merits of Stafford vs Maye throughout the playoffs.
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