Oldest MVP winners in NFL history: Where Matthew Stafford would rank compared to Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers

Oldest MVP winners in NFL history: Where Matthew Stafford would rank compared to Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Typically, football is a young man’s game.

It’s no coincidence that most of the best individual seasons in NFL history, regardless of position, came before a player’s 30th birthday.

Still, a select few have bucked that trend by winning an MVP at an “old” NFL age. Primarily, that group is composed of quarterbacks — not only do passers take home the majority of MVP awards, but they also tend to age better than most offensive players. In the 2025 season, Matthew Stafford became a top MVP candidate for the Los Angeles Rams despite being one of the oldest players in the NFL.

Where would Stafford rank among the oldest MVPs ever? Here’s a look at the eldest players to win the award.

MORE: Has Matthew Stafford won an MVP?

Oldest MVP winner in NFL history

The oldest MVP winner in NFL history shouldn’t surprise fans, as it’s the hyper-famous quarterback who holds most age-related records: Tom Brady. At age 40, Brady won MVP for the New England Patriots in the 2017 season. He is the only player to win an NFL MVP at 40 or older.

Brady remained elite into the twilight of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including a runner-up MVP finish in 2021, but his 2017 MVP award was his last.

Here’s a look at the oldest MVP winners:

Player

Season

Team

Age

Tom Brady

2017

Patriots

Aaron Rodgers

2021

Packers

Aaron Rodgers

2020

Packers

Peyton Manning

2013

Broncos

Rich Gannon

2002

Raiders

Y.A. Tittle

1963

Giants

Fran Tarkenton

1975

Vikings

John Brodie

1970

49ers

Joe Montana

1990

49ers

Joe Theismann

1983

Redskins

Mark Moseley

1982

Redskins

Earl Morrall

1968

Colts

Johnny Unitas

1967

Colts

Norm Van Brocklin

1960

Eagles

MORE:How does NFL MVP voting work?

Tom Brady, 2017

In 2017, despite turning 40 years old, Brady was doing Brady things. He was a five-time Super Bowl champion by then, but with New England seeking to defend its 2016 title after beating the Atlanta Falcons, the star quarterback was elite.

Brady totaled 4,577 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns and a 102.8 passer rating in 16 regular season games, leading the Patriots to the AFC’s No. 1 seed at 13-3. He led the league in passing yards, passing attempts and yards per game, and New England went on to lose in the Super Bowl to Philadelphia.

Brady beat out Rams running back Todd Gurley for the MVP award, the third of his career. Brady received 40% of the MVP votes, per Pro Football Reference, while Gurley got 8% and Carson Wentz had 2%.

Aaron Rodgers, 2021

In 2021, a 38-year-old Aaron Rodgers had an outstanding season for the Green Bay Packers, totaling 37 passing touchdowns and just four interceptions in 16 regular-season games, as well as a 111.9 passer rating, which led the NFL.

Rodgers won the fourth MVP of his career, leading the Packers to the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a 13-3 record. Per Pro Football Reference, Rodgers received 39% of the MVP votes, while Brady finished second with 10% and Cooper Kupp had 1%.

The Packers went on to fall to the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Aaron Rodgers, 2020

It was back-to-back MVP awards for Rodgers in 2020 and 2021, and he became the oldest player to accomplish that feat. The first leg of MVPs, in 2020, included 4,299 passing yards, a career-high 48 touchdowns and only five interceptions for Rodgers.

Green Bay went 13-3, earning the top seed in the NFC, although it lost in the NFC Championship Game to the Buccaneers.

Rodgers dominated MVP voting, taking 88% of the votes, per Pro Football Reference. Josh Allen had 8%, while Patrick Mahomes got 2%.

Peyton Manning, 2013

Peyton Manning, at 37 years old, was unreal for the Denver Broncos in the 2013 season. His season ended on a sour note, losing to the “Legion of Boom” Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, but the path there was outstanding.

Manning set new NFL single-season records with 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns, leading Denver to a 13-3 record. He also set a single-season record for most games with at least four passing touchdowns, totaling nine. He also took home Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Manning claimed a dominant 98% of MVP votes in 2013, easily taking home the award, per Pro Football Reference.

Rich Gannon, 2002

In 2002, Rich Gannon became the then-oldest MVP winner in NFL history for the Raiders. He led the NFL in passing yards with 4,689 yards, adding 26 touchdown passes on a league-high 418 completions.

Gannon led the Raiders to a Super Bowl appearance that season, although they fell to the Buccaneers.

He had 39.6% of the MVP voting share in 2002, per Pro Football Reference, beating out Brett Favre (31.3%) and Steve McNair (22.9%) for the award.

MORE: 6 closest NFL MVP votes ever

How old was Tom Brady when he won MVP?

Tom Brady was 40 years old when he won his third and final MVP award in the NFL. He became the oldest player to win the award, and the only player to win MVP at 40 years or older.

Brady, who had previously won MVPs at ages 30 and 33, famously aged well, even appearing on MVP ballots as he approached 45 in Tampa Bay. But the last time he won was in 2017 for the Patriots.

MORE: Revisiting the NFL’s last co-MVPs in 2003

How old was Aaron Rodgers when he won MVP?

Aaron Rodgers won back-to-back MVP awards at ages 37 and 38 in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, he became the second-oldest MVP award winner in NFL history, only behind Brady in 2017.

Rodgers was yet another example of a Hall of Fame-level quarterback excelling in his older years, playing nearly mistake-free football for the Packers as one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

MORE: Most career passing yards in NFL history

How old is Matthew Stafford?

Matthew Stafford is 37 years old. He will turn 38 on Feb. 7, 1988.

However, with the NFL award show coming on Feb. 5 and the entirety of Stafford’s 2025 season being played at 37 years old, that’s how old he’d be considered among MVP winners. That means, should the Rams quarterback win MVP, he would trail only Brady in 2017 and Rodgers in 2021 as the oldest winners of the award in league history.

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Oldest MVP winners in NFL history: Where Matthew Stafford would rank compared to Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers

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