There’s no taking Drake Maye’s first full regular season as an NFL starter away from him and the 2025 New England Patriots. After one of the greatest single-season performances in league history, given his age, the 23-year-old is officially a first-time All-Pro.
Maye was not, however, awarded first-team All-Pro, and for Patriots fans everywhere, Saturday’s news was a source of frustration. The celebration of Maye's extraordinary season will have to come later.
The All-Pro teams were announced in full by the Associated Press, whose 50-member panel votes on the NFL’s annual first- and second-team All-Pro teams, as well as the overall MVP.
The Associated Press 2025 NFL All-Pro team selected by a national panel of 50 media members:
— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) January 10, 2026
First team
Offense
Quarterback — Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Running Back — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Fullback — Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco
Wide Receivers — Puka Nacua, Los…
The MVP award will be announced closer to the Super Bowl, during the NFL Honors ceremony, but with Matthews Stafford landing the first-team All-Pro nod, and Maye earning second-team honors, the stage is now set for the 37-year-old Stafford to win the first MVP of his likely Hall of Famer career.
For the record, that’s not a guarantee at this point. But it’s about as close to one as it gets.
The NFL’s annual MVP is always a first-team All-Pro, with 3 exceptions
Los Angeles Rams fans shouldn’t be celebrating Stafford as the de facto MVP just yet. It’s rare, but first-team All-Pro quarterbacks have been passed over before.
The latest example? Look no further than last year. Lamar Jackson edged out Josh Allen for first-team All-Pro honors in January, but the MVP shockinigly went to Allen, who received 27 of the 49 first-place votes, five more than Jackson.
According to an ESPN report, only two other players have been named MVP without also earning first-team All-Pro honors since the first award was given out in 1957. Those players were John Elway of the Broncos in 1987, and Steve McNair of the Titans in 2003.
Regardless, Maye finds himself in the most elite company. His 2025 resume bested Stafford in a number of areas, with voters apparently choosing total passing yards and TD passes, over completion percentage and yards per attempt; they apparently knocked Maye for an easy schedule, even though the Rams lost to both the Panthers and Falcons in games Stafford played poorly; those were common opponents the Patriots beat rather handily, with Maye the driving factor.
It’s not over quite yet, but Maye was in prime position to become one of the youngest MVPs in NFL history, joining the likes of Jim Brown (21), Lamar Jackson (22), Patrick Mahomes (23), Dan Marino (23), and Walter Payton (23). What a list.
Patriots fans, rightfully, will be livid, but Maye’s probably more happy for teammate Marcus Jones joining him him on the second team as a punt returner, than unhappy about getting passed over for the first team. He’s been team-first and unwavering in that regard from Day 1 this season, and it’s a big reason why the Patriots won 14 games and are hosting a playoff game on Sunday night.