NFL Trade Rumors
In a little less than a month, the NFL Honors ceremony will hand out awards for this past season of work, including the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookies of the Year and many more.
None of us here at NFL Trade Rumors has an official vote on the ballot. But supposing we did, this is what it would look like.
Voters:
Rams QB Matthew Stafford (4 first-place votes)
TW: Drake Maye has been the popular pick due to New England’s resurgence, but I’m going with Stafford, who orchestrated the most efficient passing attacks in the league, per ESPN. The Rams also faced a top-10 strength of schedule, while New England was dead last.
WG: While Drake Maye may have had a bigger impact on his team’s season, this year is all about giving Matthew Stafford his flowers as the league’s best quarterback. Even at 37, the former first overall pick threw for 46 touchdowns, which ties him with Drew Brees for seventh-most in a single season. He also led the league in passing yards and bolstered his all-time rankings, now sitting at sixth in yards and seventh in touchdowns (just two behind Philip Rivers).
TC: True toss-up between Maye/Stafford and I’m fine with either. Maye gets the nod for slightly better charted data, worse pass game weapons, leading division winner.
LU: I legitimately considered just flipping a coin to decide between Maye and Stafford. It’s that close. Stafford has the edge when it comes to traditional stats, leading the league by a healthy margin in passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46). Maye was devastatingly efficient, throwing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns while adding another 450 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He led the NFL in both completion percentage (72 percent) and yards per attempt (8.9 YPA) — not an easy feat to accomplish by any means. Maye led the Patriots to a 14-3 record and the No. 2 seed while Stafford’s Rams slipped to 12-5 and the No. 5 seed. But the Rams’ schedule was notably more difficult and they actually finished ahead of the Patriots in point differential.
Ultimately the actual decision has to come down to something subjective because the statistical case for either is so robust. I think if you subtracted Stafford from the Rams and Maye from the Patriots, Los Angeles would have a more difficult time managing. Maye can do things Stafford can’t but the Rams ask Stafford to do a lot more than the Patriots ask of Maye.
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (5 first-place votes)
NB: I seriously considered going with Puka Nacua here. The numbers are close and...
