MVP: The Case for Maye
Drake Maye should be the NFL MVP.
At just 23 years old, in his first full season as a starter, Maye has been nothing short of spectacular—guiding the Patriots to a 13–3 record and their first AFC East title of the post–Brady era.
He delivers jaw-dropping, highlight-reel throws on a weekly basis, and the production backs it up: 30 passing touchdowns, over 4,200 passing yards, plus another 4 touchdowns and 409 yards on the ground. He leads the league in ESPN’s QBR by a full three points over the next quarterback, Jordan Love, and ranks near the top in nearly every advanced efficiency metric.
So let’s start with the obvious question: why not Maye?
The most common pushback is schedule. Yes, the Patriots have benefited from a softer slate—but that schedule existed because they were a four-win team in back-to-back seasons. Turning that roster into a 13-win division champion, regardless of their opponents, should only strengthen the case.
Then there’s the raw stat comparison to Matthew Stafford. Stafford’s 42 touchdowns and 4,448 passing yards are often stacked next to Maye’s 30 touchdowns and 4,203 yards. But that framing leaves out a major piece of the puzzle. Once rushing production is included, the numbers look like this:
Maye: 34 total touchdowns, 4,612 total yards
Stafford: 42 total touchdowns, 4,446 total yards
Suddenly, the gap looks far smaller.
Dig a layer deeper and efficiency tilts heavily toward Maye. Stafford needed 557 pass attempts to reach his yardage total. Maye did it on just 474 attempts. His completion percentage (71.7%) also dwarfs Stafford’s (65.2%), underscoring just how precise and efficient Maye has been this season.
All of this is even before accounting for supporting casts. Stafford throws to elite, proven stars like Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. While Stefon Diggs has been excellent in New England, he’s not in the same tier at this stage of his career as either of Stafford’s top options.
Which brings us to value.
Remove Stafford from the Rams, and they still have old friend Jimmy Garoppolo—a quarterback who has led a team to a Super Bowl—along with the aforementioned strong supporting cast. They likely remain in the playoff picture. Remove Maye from the Patriots, and they look far closer to the four-win team they were the previous two seasons.
There’s also the matter of team success. The Rams are likely to finish third in their own (admittedly brutal) division. It’s fair to ask how a player can be deemed the league’s most valuable without even winning his division.
Both Stafford and Maye have been outstanding this season. And while Maye is currently the heavy betting favorite (–330 on DraftKings, –340 on FanDuel), there’s a lingering sense the award could still swing toward Stafford as a sort of lifetime-achievement MVP. Voters may look at age and opportunity—seeing this as Stafford’s final chance to cement his Hall of Fame résumé, while assuming Maye will have many more opportunities ahead.
But awards shouldn’t be about sentiment or career timelines.
Win or lose, Drake Maye has been the most valuable player in the NFL this season.
