MVP. Most Valuable Player. What player adds the most value to a team. That’s what the award was designed for. For New England fans, this has been the topic of discussion over the last couple of months.
Is Drake Maye a legitimate MVP contender?
Yes.
Should Drake Maye be the MVP?
Also yes.
Drake Maye, although only in his second year, deserves to be the MVP this year. If we go back to the definition of MVP, Maye adds the most value to his team. The Patriots entered the season coming off a 4-13 year where the team looked like they were years away from completing a rebuild. No one thought the Patriots would be in the AFC Championship Game and holding the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
There will be detractors who point to the easy schedule, but people forget the schedule was made based on how teams finished last year. As Mike Vrabel has said, take advantage of bad football — and that’s something the Patriots have done all season.
The MVP award this year is a two-horse race. There’s Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams and Drake Maye. Most advanced analytical stats say Drake Maye had the better season, while the “basic” stats of touchdowns and yards favor Stafford. There’s a bit of inflation in Stafford’s numbers, considering he threw 14 one-yard touchdowns and, in the final game of the season, the Rams kept him throwing despite being up by double digits late to boost his stats. Drake Maye was pulled in the third quarter against the Jets. Need I say more?
A big reason people are hesitant to give Maye the MVP is because they believe he can win it again down the line. I hate that argument. Who’s to say Maye will ever have another season as good as this? It’s not a lifetime achievement award. It’s about who was the best player in the league and who added the most value to their team. With that, you have to look at the supporting cast. I’m a big Kayshon Boutte fan, and I believe Stefon Diggs has been a revelation, but they’re not on the same level as Puka Nacua or Davante Adams. Maye has done more with less compared to Stafford. He’s added more value to the Patriots than Stafford has with the Rams.
Another factor people overlook is Drake Maye’s rushing ability. He’s a true dual-threat quarterback, and his rushing stats should be considered for MVP, just like they were for Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
To me, both players are deserving of the award, but Maye deserves it a bit more than Stafford.
However, I’ll gladly give the regular season MVP award to Stafford if it means Drake Maye wins Super Bowl MVP.
