SAN FRANCISCO – Even though he and his team failed to reach Super Bowl LX, Matthew Stafford experienced one of his most memorable nights on Thursday when he was awarded the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the closest vote in 22 years and then announced that his career with the Los Angeles Rams will continue.

In what was a two-way race, Stafford received 24 first-place votes from a panel of 50 electors to accumulate a total of 366 points, while Drake Maye, the young quarterback of the New England Patriots, obtained 23 first-place votes and 361 points. It is the closest vote since 2003.

Stafford has been considered one of the best quarterbacks in the league for many years, but had never been a true MVP contender. Now he has one, in addition to his Super Bowl ring won four years ago as quarterback of the Rams.

Matthew Stafford will have the happiest birthday

Stafford, who turns 38 this Saturday, led the NFL's number 1 offense in the 2015 season with 46 touchdown passes and 4,707 yards. He only threw 8 interceptions. The Rams were one of the best teams of the season, but fell just short of Super Bowl LX, losing to Seattle in a hard-fought NFC Championship Game.

With his characteristic humility, the quarterback credited his teammates, his coach Sean McVay, whom he called a dear friend and the best leader he's ever had, and the entire Rams organization for the award. He also said in front of many of the NFL's best players, past and present: "Just breathing the same air as you guys is incredible to me."

Maye did not attend the NFL Honors ceremony held at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco because she is with her New England teammates preparing for the Super Bowl this Sunday against Seattle.

Support from his daughters, Stafford's reason to continue

After the announcement that he had won the NFL's most coveted individual award,Stafford took the stage with his four young daughters, who were very present at Rams games this year. “You guys are amazing cheerleaders for me. I appreciate it. I’m so happy to have you at the games with me and I can’t wait for you to cheer me on next year when we’re out there kicking ass,” Stafford said at the end of his speech, putting an end to the suspense about his future. The news that Stafford will remain on the field in 2026 for his 18th NFL season brought Coach McVay, wide receiver Puka Nacua, running back Kyren Williams, and other Rams players in the theater to their feet. The Los Angeles team will be one of the biggest favorites—if not the biggest—to win Super Bowl LXI, which will also be held at their home stadium, SoFi Stadium. Speaking to reporters about his reasons for announcing that he will not yet retire from football, Stafford explained that it was a family decision based on his daughters. “I want to be a part of their lives as much as I can, that’s really important to me, and if they didn’t support me playing, I wouldn’t do it,” Stafford explained. “I love to play, there’s no question about that, but if they weren’t with me on that decision, it doesn’t matter how well I played this year, or last year, or whatever.” Other winners of the night at the NFL Honors included Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Offensive Player of the Year; Browns defensive end Myles Garrett as Defensive Player of the Year (unanimous); Christian McCaffrey, running back for the 49ers, as Comeback Player of the Year, and Mike Vrabel, head coach of the Patriots, as Coach of the Year.“And if they didn’t support me playing, I wouldn’t,” Stafford explained. “I love to play, there’s no doubt about that, but if they weren’t with me on that decision, it doesn’t matter how well I played this year, or last year, or whatever.” Other winners at the NFL Honors included Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Offensive Player of the Year; Browns defensive end Myles Garrett as Defensive Player of the Year (unanimous); 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey as Comeback Player of the Year; and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel as Coach of the Year.“And if they didn’t support me playing, I wouldn’t,” Stafford explained. “I love to play, there’s no doubt about that, but if they weren’t with me on that decision, it doesn’t matter how well I played this year, or last year, or whatever.” Other winners at the NFL Honors included Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Offensive Player of the Year; Browns defensive end Myles Garrett as Defensive Player of the Year (unanimous); 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey as Comeback Player of the Year; and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel as Coach of the Year.