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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford won the 2025 NFL MVP award in one of the closest votes in league history over Drake Maye of the New England Patriots. But when the full voting tally was released, that wasn’t the biggest story.
Stafford finished just ahead with 366 points compared to Maye’s 361 points, while Josh Allen came in third, Christian McCaffrey fourth, and Trevor Lawrence fifth.
However, it was Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert who received the only other first-place vote besides Stafford (24), Maye (23), and Allen).
AP NFL MVP
1. Matthew Stafford 366 points, 24 first-place votes
2. Drake Maye 361, 23
3. Josh Allen 91, 2
4. Christian McCaffrey 71, 0
5. Trevor Lawrence 49, 0
Justin Herbert got the other first-place vote.— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 6, 2026
Herbert had a solid enough year. He threw for 3,723 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, while adding 498 yards and two more scores on the ground.
But he certainly didn’t light up the box score. So, who voted for him as the league’s Most Valueable Player, and why?
Justin Herbert MVP Voter Reveals Himself And Explains Reasoning
As it turns out, the vote for Herbert came from Sam Monson, who formerly worked for Pro Football Focus and now co-hosts the Check the Mic podcast with Steve Palazzolo.
So, what exactly was Monson thinking? According to him, it was all about supporting cast.
“I was the Justin Herbert vote,” he posted on X. “The guy had the worst offensive line in the NFL all season and despite that he was working miracles in almost every single game.
“Stafford’s OL became 2/5ths as bad as Herbert’s for 5 minutes and he became a turnover howitzer. He embodied ‘value’.”
Monson tried to dive deeper into his explanation. But, understandably, he received plenty of pushback.
“Sam says Stafford couldn’t do what Herbert did behind that OL. That may be true. But where is the evidence that Herbert could have done what Stafford or Maye did in their situations?” Mike Renner of CBS Sports asked. “Justin Herbert only averaged 7.5 YPA w/ a 104.6 passer rating when not pressured this season. Lower than Stafford/Maye’s season totals for both.”
Herbert was undeniably hamstrung by a shockingly bad offensive line. But it’s also a big leap to assume that he would’ve played equal to or better than Stafford and Maye in their situations.
Acknowledging his impressive season is one thing. But voting for him as the league’s MVP feels like a major stretch.