While the NFL world was debating whether the MVP award would go to Matthew Stafford or Drake Maye, one voter stole the show during the NFL Honors by giving his top vote to Justin Herbert, a player who was not even among the finalists and who ended up costing the New England Patriots quarterback dearly.
The final tally showed Stafford with 24 first-place votes, followed closely by Maye with 23. Another name that appeared on the outside was Josh Allen, who received two first-place votes, but many were curious to know who gave Herbert their top vote.
An Unexpected MVP Pick Triggers League-Wide Criticism
Shortly after everyone knew who had voted for the Los Angeles Chargers QB, analyst Sam Monson took to social media to justify the vote, stating that Herbert, who ranks No. 6 in the PFSN QB Impact metric with a B grade, had played a decisive role in the team, considering the offensive fragility and injuries throughout the season.
I was the Justin Herbert vote.
The guy had the worst offensive line in the NFL all season and despite that he was working miracles in almost every single game.
Stafford’s OL became 2/5ths as bad as Herbert’s for 5 minutes and he became a turnover howitzer.
He embodied ‘value’.
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) February 6, 2026
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However, the explanation sparked intense reactions among analysts and critics. Football analyst Adam Kaufman called the situation “wild” after the revelation that Maye lost by one vote, while ESPN host Courtney Cronin made a point of emphasizing that Herbert was not on the list of finalists.
Drake Maye lost by ONE vote and someone voted for HERBERT?!
Wild. https://t.co/8KafAymQ5L
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) February 6, 2026
Drake Maye lost the MVP because he had one less first-place vote than Matthew Stafford. That one vote went to someone – Justin Herbert – who wasn’t even a finalist.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) February 6, 2026
The Athletic’s James Boyd went further in his criticism, calling anyone who voted for Herbert “unserious,” and extended it to the two voters who chose Allen as NFL MVP.
The two people who voted for Josh Allen were unserious and the person who voted for Justin Herbert was *extremely* unserious. https://t.co/qvJcHZ4ha6
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) February 6, 2026
Meanwhile, Chris Bockman, the co-host and senior producer of the “Rich Eisen Show”, recalled the fact that one (also controversial) vote for Ken Anderson cost Bill Belichick a place in this year’s Hall of Fame.
it’s clinically insane that a vote for Ken Anderson cost Belichick the HOF and a vote for Herbert cost Drake Maye MVP — have we all lost our minds?
— Chris Brockman🎙️ (@chrisbrockman) February 6, 2026
In yet another harsh criticism, Michael Hurley published an image comparing the season statistics of Herbert, Maye, and Stafford, stating that the person responsible for the Chargers QB’s photo should have their “voting rights revoked.” The analyst also noted that the voter may have confused the Los Angeles franchises.
Whoever gave Justin Herbert a first-place vote should probably have their voting rights revoked. https://t.co/CmqFHSEV54 pic.twitter.com/b9OjUOMN3y
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) February 6, 2026
I’m guessing the Justin Herbert voter just saw “Los Angeles” and “QB” on the ballot and made the selection. There’s no way somebody did that on purpose. I refuse to believe.
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) February 6, 2026
Daniel Rotman went further, saying that the person responsible for the photo of Herbert will have to deal with the burden of being remembered negatively on social media.
Whoever voted for Josh Allen and Justin Herbert are not going to enjoy being on this app over the coming months… https://t.co/wUwPbVn2kD
— Daniel Rotman (@daniel_rotman15) February 6, 2026
Finally, Dave Portnoy made a provocative comment about Monson’s tweet, pointing out that the analyst tried to convey a sense of being smarter than “every other human who watched football.”
😂😂😂😂. Imagine thinking you outsmarted every other human who watched football. Only cost Maye the MVP. Luckily we play for Lombardi’s in New England. https://t.co/b5fvOrjbw6
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) February 6, 2026
A single controversial vote may have cost Maye the MVP award, but he now has the chance to trade that individual snub for the ultimate vindication on the Super Bowl stage.
