Oldest NFL MVPs in History: Where Does 37-Year-Old Matthew Stafford Rank?

Feb 06, 2026
Oldest NFL MVPs in History: Where Does 37-Year-Old Matthew Stafford Rank?

Matthew Stafford might be 37 years old, but he just claimed the NFL MVP award. Where does he rank amongst the oldest players to ever win the MVP in the league? Let's take a look.

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Oldest MVPs in NFL History

Tom Brady is the oldest player to win an MVP in NFL history. He won his third MVP award in the 2017 season at the age of 40. Matthew Stafford is tied for third on the list. Take a look at the oldest MVPs in NFL history.

Player Age Pos. Season Team
Tom Brady 40 QB 2017 New England Patriots
Aaron Rodgers 38 QB 2021 Green Bay Packers
Matthew Stafford 37 QB 2025 Los Angeles Rams
Aaron Rodgers 37 QB 2020 Green Bay Packers
Peyton Manning 37 QB 2013 Denver Broncos
Rich Gannon 37 QB 2002 Oakland Raiders
Y.A. Tittle 37 QB 1963 New York Giants
Fran Tarkenton 35 QB 1975 Minnesota Vikings
John Brodie 35 QB 1970 San Francisco 49ers

Stafford is Tied for Third Oldest

At age 37, Matthew Stafford had the best year of his career. He tossed 46 touchdown passes to lead the NFL, and he threw just 8 interceptions. Stafford was the league leader in yards with 4,707 and found a spot as a First-Team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

His fantastic stats and a 12-5 record this season for the Rams helped him win the 2025 NFL MVP. It's the first MVP of his career. The Rams fell just short of a Super Bowl appearance as they lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, 31-27.

Tom Brady is at the Top

*Brady won the MVP in 2017 and led the Patriots to Super Bowl LII. Photo: John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Tom Brady is the oldest MVP in league history, and is anyone really surprised? The dude played forever at an elite level. Brady was 40 years old when he won his third MVP of his career in the 2017 season. He had 32 touchdown passes while leading the Patriots to a 13-3 record.

The Patriots reached the Super Bowl that season but fell 41-33 to the Philadelphia Eagles. In that Super Bowl LII loss, Brady threw for 505 yards with 3 touchdown passes.

Rodgers Won Back-to-Back at 37 and 38

Aaron Rodgers is the second-oldest player to win an MVP in NFL history when he captured the 2021 MVP after throwing 37 touchdowns while leading the Packers to a 13-win season. It was Rodgers' second straight MVP after he threw 48 touchdowns in the previous season to capture the award.

Unfortunately, neither season led to a Super Bowl. In 2020, the Packers lost to the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game by a score of 31-26. In 2021, the Packers were stunned by the 49ers in the Divisional Round by a score of 13-10.

Recent NFL MVPs

Take a look at the most recent NFL MVPs and how old they were when they won the award. Each of the MVPs has been a quarterback. There hasn't been another position to win the award since running back Adrian Peterson in 2012. It took a 2,097-yard season for him to take the award.

Player Age Season Team
Matthew Stafford 37 2025 Los Angeles Rams
Josh Allen 28 2024 Buffalo Bills
Lamar Jackson 27 2023 Baltimore Ravens
Patrick Mahomes 27 2022 Kansas City Chiefs
Aaron Rodgers 38 2021 Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers 37 2020 Green Bay Packers
Lamar Jackson 23 2019 Baltimore Ravens
Patrick Mahomes 23 2018 Kansas City Chiefs
Tom Brady 40 2017 New England Patriots
Matt Ryan 31 2016 Atlanta Falcons

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