Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is coming off one of the best seasons in his career, earning an elusive MVP trophy for his efforts.
But oddsmakers aren’t so sure he can do it again.
Early odds for the 2026 race show Stafford trailing most of the other top candidates, underlying the difficulty of earning back-to-back MVP awards as well as the difficult task his team faces in their division.
Matthew Stafford Not Expected to Repeat MVP Season
As Fox Sports reported, Stafford is listed as No. 8 on the list of candidates for the MVP award in the coming season.
“Stafford will enter next season as the reigning MVP,” the report noted. “This past season, he led the NFL in passing yards (4,707) and passing TDs (46). For context, second on the TD list was Jared Goff, who threw for 34 scores. It was Stafford’s first MVP award, arriving in his 17th NFL season.”
Stafford won by a small margin over New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who also faced a tough prediction. Maye was listed just two spots above Stafford on the list.
“Maye nearly had it this past season,” the report noted, adding, “However, after the Patriots’ playoff run, pundits posited it would have been wrong for him to win over Stafford, based on New England’s regular-season strength of schedule and how Maye performed individually against top defenses in the postseason. But it’s a regular-season award, and in the regular season, Maye threw for 4,394 yards and 31 scores.”
Stafford had plenty of strong statistical seasons with the Lions, but only reached the playoffs three times during his tenure in Detroit and had few chances to jump into the MVP conversation.
Rams Looking to Reload With Matthew Stafford
Before he announced his decision to return for the 2026 season, Stafford got a strong endorsement from Rams general manager Les Snead. He suggested that the team is ready to go all-in on another Super Bowl run, looking to add to the title they won in 2021 immediately following the blockbuster trade that shipped him from the Lions to Los Angeles.
âThere is a vision to have sustained success over time,â Snead said, via the Orange County Register. âBut if Matthew decides to come back I do think thereâll be an element of â whether itâs 51-49, whether itâs 52-48, whether itâs 60-40 â letâs definitely make the most of the time we have with Matthew. Because ⦠the type of season that heâs still showing he can have, thereâs only so many of those left. Those are some moments that you want to take advantage of.â
The Lions are also hoping to jump back into playoff contention after falling short for the first time in three seasons. Lions head coach Dan Campbell gave a strong endorsement of quarterback Jared Goff.
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