Can Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford Both Win NFL MVP? Making the Case for Rare Co-MVPs

The 2025 NFL MVP race has felt like a two-player battle for some time now, and it's felt like the front-runner has flipped between Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford on an almost game-by-game basis.

The Los Angeles Rams lost on Thursday night, but Stafford threw for 457 yards and three touchdowns—without standout No. 2 receiver Davante Adams. The New England Patriots got back in the win column on Sunday night, thanks largely to Maye's first career 300-yard game.

The Rams sit at 11-4, while the Patriots are 12-3. Los Angeles is the Super Bowl favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, while New England has the fourth-best odds to win it all. It's impossible to imagine either team being where it is without its quarterback.

Which signal-caller will come away with the MVP award after the final two weeks? Why not both? Yes, ties can happen, and if there's a year when a co-MVP would be satisfying, this is it.

MVP Ties Are Rare, But Possible

Before we dive into exactly why Maye and Stafford deserve to share this year's MVP, it's worth examining how it could happen. We haven't seen many ties for the award, but they have happened.

Steve McNair and Peyton Manning shared the MVP in 2003, while Brett Favre and Barry Sanders were co-MVPs in 1997. According to Dan Treacy of The Sporting News, there may have been a tie between Norm Van Brocklin and Joe Schmidt in 1960, though a lack of voting data makes that unclear.

Now, it's worth noting those ties happened under the Associated Press' old voting system, in which 50 awards voters each cast a singular vote for MVP. The AP changed to a ranked voting system in 2022, making a tie even less likely.

Under the new system, voters may list up to five MVP candidates, with results determined by a point system. Under the current format, points are awarded for votes as follows:

• First Place: 10 Points
• Second Place: 5 Points
• Third Place: 3 Points
• Fourth Place 2 Points
• Fifth Place: 1 Point

"Our goal is to provide the voters with an accurate and fair voting system to reflect their preferences," AP's Global Sports Editor, Ricardo Zuniga, said in 2022 when the changes were implemented, per CBS Sports' John Breech. "These tweaks will help them in their selection process."

The weighted ranking system makes it highly unlikely Stafford and Maye will share this season's MVP, but it is still technically possible. If each were to receive 25 first-place votes and 25 second-place votes, each would finish with 375 points, resulting in a tie.

Last year, Josh Allen finished with 378 total points, while Lamar Jackson was a close second with 352 total points.

Will an even split between votes actually result in a tie? Probably not, but given the way this season has unfolded, it's not difficult to envision Stafford and Maye being the only two players to receive first- and second-place votes.

Why Co-MVPs Would Make Sense

No one in the NFL really likes a tie. Fans and players have made that abundantly clear over the years.

"It's hard to wrap my head around it because I know I'd feel a lot worse if it was a loss. But I'm not satisfied," Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said earlier this season after tying the Green Bay Packers, per ESPN's Todd Archer.

In this case, though, players and fans might find a tie not only acceptable but also logical. Both quarterbacks have shown they deserve the award.

As a passer, Stafford has been statistically better. He's thrown for a league-high 4,179 yards with 40 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 112.1 QB rating. Maye has thrown for 3,947 yards with 25 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 108.5 rating. However, the second-year star has also rushed for 387 yards and four scores while completing a league-best 70.9 percent of his passes.

The Rams have faced a tougher schedule in a brutal NFC West. However, the Patriots have a better record and what most would consider a less-impressive overall roster.

The Patriots have a skill-position group in Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, TreVeyon Henderson, and others, but Stafford does get to throw to Adams and Cooper Kupp.

Both quarterbacks have passed the "eye test" for MVP consideration as well. Stafford is playing some of the best football of his career and has shown that a pure pocket passer can still thrive in the NFL with elite processing, accuracy, arm strength, touch, and anticipation.

Maye has been equally impressive. While he often uses his size (6'4", 225 lbs) and scrambling ability to attack defenses, he's regularly flashed his arm talent as well. The North Carolina product is almost never rattled in the pocket, often uses his mobility to buy time, and has the arm talent to attack all areas of the field.

According to Next Gen Stats, Maye's extra points added (EPA) on deep attempts this season lead the NFL.

And when he does decide to chew up yards with his legs, he often makes it look effortless.

While Stafford and Maye are stylistically different quarterbacks, they've been equally effective all season. They also both happen to possess something that awards voters love: A good story.

Though voters usually won't say it publicly, they often gravitate toward the fresh face or the tantalizing tale. It's why Michal Jordan wasn't the NBA's MVP every single year of his prime, why Kevin Stefanski won Coach of the Year just for getting the Cleveland Browns into the playoffs, and probably why Allen was named MVP over Jackson last season.

Jackson, a two-time MVP, had better numbers in most relevant categories during his 2024 campaign than during his 2023 MVP season. Allen won the first MVP of his career.

Maye is leading this season's most remarkable turnaround while showcasing the poise, leadership, skill, and efficiency usually associated with a much more experienced quarterback.

Stafford, meanwhile, is in his 17th NFL season and has never won the MVP, nor has he even been in serious contention for the award—he did receive a pair of fourth-place votes in 2023.

More than a few voters may be eager to acknowledge Stafford as the best player after years of him being largely overlooked—the 37-year-old has made just two Pro Bowls.

Whether voters go with the grizzled veteran field general or the young phenom, this year's MVP race will tell a good story. Allowing them to share the award would be even better.

Things Will Likely Change Over the Final Two Weeks

Stafford is the current favorite for MVP, but the race is close. He's -215 (bet $215 to win $100) to win the award, while Maye is +180 (bet $100 to win $180). Allen is a distant third at +2500.

After 16 weeks, it remains a two-man race and too close to call, though that's likely to change over the final two weeks of the season. While the MVP shouldn't be solely about who is playing the best in December, recency bias can't be ignored. There's plenty left at stake for the Rams and Patriots that could sway voters one way or the other.

While the Rams and Patriots have both secured playoff berths, neither has secured a division crown just yet.

New England is in the AFC East's pole position and only needs to beat the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins to claim the division. The Patriots could also snag the AFC's No. 1 seed, though the Denver Broncos currently hold the top spot by virtue of tiebreakers.

The Rams have a tougher task ahead. They can still win the NFC West and the NFC's top seed, but they'll need help. Their path will start with wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. L.A. also needs the Seattle Seahawks to drop one of their final two games (at the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers) while getting at least one loss from the 49ers.

If either team ends up with a top seed while the other misses out, it could skew the MVP picture toward the former team's quarterback. Similarly, if one quarterback stumbles while his team misses out on a division title, he could quickly fall back with the rest of the pack.

And while some voters may lean toward the better story at season's end, it won't be a universal trend.

"The idea of giving Stafford a lifetime achievement MVP award doesn't seem fair to me," ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote recently.

With plenty to play for, both quarterbacks will have opportunities to put up impressive numbers over their final two games. One may outperform the other, which would carry significant weight with voters who place a heavy emphasis on raw statistics.

There's a very real chance the MVP picture will become much clearer before the regular season ends, but the fact that the race is this close with two weeks to play is remarkable.

Because of the MVP voting process, seeing Stafford and Maye share the award in February would be surprising, though not entirely shocking. In fact, it would feel like a fitting way to wrap their incredible individual campaigns.