Matthew Stafford is the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for 2026. However, it was the closest vote in over 20 years. His lead over Drake Maye was only a hair’s breadth.

Beaming with joy, Matthew Stafford took to the stage at the NFL Honors to accept the trophy for the league’s most valuable player.

Accompanying him were his daughters and his wife Kelly. It was a sight that left hardly a dry eye in the house.

But this undoubtedly emotional scene almost didn’t happen: The Los Angeles Rams quarterback won the award by only a razor-thin margin.

NFL MVP: Drake Maye needed just one more vote

In the relatively new MVP voting system, Stafford received 366 points. His closest competitor, Drake Maye of the New England Patriots, received 361 points.

This makes it the closest MVP race since 2003, when Peyton Manning and Steve McNair actually shared the trophy. Stafford received 24 votes for first place, Maye 23. The other three went to Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers.

So if Maye had taken first place on one of these ballots, he might have had more points than Stafford. As it is, the 23-year-old has to settle for second place.

This is the first MVP award for the Rams quarterback, who is 37. On stage at the Honors, he announced his intention to continue playing in 2026.