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TheLos Angeles Ramsquarterback was named NFL MVP at the Feb. 5 NFL Honors ceremony. He beat out New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye by a single first-place vote.

Stafford was awarded league MVP after he capped off one of the best seasons of his career. The 37-year-old quarterback led the NFL and broke a Rams franchise record with a career-high 46 touchdown passes to just eight interceptions. Additionally, Stafford's 4,707 passing yards paced the NFL.

His 46 touchdowns are the second-most thrown in a single season by an NFL quarterback age 37 or older. He became the third player in NFL history with at least 45 touchdown passes and fewer than 10 interceptions in a season, according to NFL Research.

"He is the MVP. There's no ifs ands or buts about it," Rams running back Blake Corum toldUSA TODAY Sports in a recent interview. "The season he's had is ridiculous. The career he's had is just tremendous."

The regular-season MVP award is the first of Stafford's career. It's the most prestigious honor Stafford's received this year. He was also named a2025 first-team All-Proand selected to the Pro Bowl.

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Stafford's MVP adds to a resume that's worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Stafford helped the Rams win Super Bowl 56, he was the recipient of the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award in 2011, he's a three-time Pro Bowler, a 2025 first-team All-Pro and now the 2025 NFL MVP.

Stafford was originally selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL draft by theDetroit Lions. He's Detroit's all-time passing leader and holds the franchise record in passing touchdowns. Stafford was dealt to the Rams in a 2021 blockbuster trade with the Lions. Stafford quarterbacked the Rams to a Super Bowl title his first season in Los Angeles. His fifth year in L.A. is accompanied with an MVP.

"He's elevated everybody that he's around, but it's been really impressive," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "I wouldn't say I'm surprised though. This has been consistent for him over the five years that we've been together. I'm just grateful to be able to have the opportunity to be partnered up with him."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X@TheTylerDragon.

Super Bowl VII ring: The Miami Dolphins beat Washington, 14-7, on Jan. 14, 1973.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XVII ring: Washington defeated the Miami Dolphins, 27-17, on Jan. 30, 1983.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XVIII ring: The Los Angeles Raiders beat Washington, 38-9, on Jan. 22, 1984.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XXII ring: Washington defeated the Denver Broncos, 42-10, on Jan. 31, 1988.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XXVI ring: Washington beat the Buffalo Bills, 37-24, on Jan. 26, 1992.

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Super Bowl rings through the years

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Matthew Stafford wins NFL MVP by one first-place vote

A Wednesday hearing saw both the Tigers and Skubal present their cases for what theback-to-back AL Cy Young Award winnershould earn for the 2026 season. Prior to the hearing, Skubal's agent, Scott Boras, asked for an arbitration-record salary of $32 million — $1 million more than the $31 million Juan Soto got in 2024 with the New York Yankees. The Tigers proposed $19 million, and the$13 million difference in filings was the largest in MLB arbitration history.

The panel was tasked with selecting one of the two numbers from Skubal and the Tigers, not determining an amount between the totals.

The previous arbitration record for a pitcher was $19.75 million, which was awarded to former Tigers lefty David Price in 2015. Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s $19.9 million salary in 2024 was the highest total in an arbitration case decided by a panel. Jeanne Charles and Walt De Treaux, who were on the panel for Guerrero's decision, were also part of the Skubal hearing.

Skubal's was the third arbitration case decision this offseason, with the previous two also going the player's way. Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish was awarded $3.55 million over the team's ask of $2.875 millio, and Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz received $4.5 million rather than the $3 million the team proposed.

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Seven more players have arbitration hearings scheduled, including Milwaukee Brewers catcher Willson Contreras, Kansas City Royals pitcher Kris Bubic and Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson.

The 29-year-old Skubal has been one of the best pitchers in baseball the past two seasons, compiling a 31-10 record with 469 strikeouts, a 0.91 WHIP and a .201 opponent batting average in 381 1/3 innings pitched. He's a two-time All-Star and All-MLB first-team player, he won the pitching Triple Crown in 2024, and he's one of six players who have won multiple Cy Youngs in the past 15 years.

Last season, Skubal led the Tigers pitching staff backed by Jack Flaherty and Case Mize. Detroit finished second in the AL Central with an 87-75 record and reached the ALDS, in which they lost to the Seattle Mariners in five games.

Skubal, who willbe one of Team USA's top armsat next month's World Baseball Classic, won one of his three postseason starts, pitching 20 2/3 innings and allowing four earned runs while striking out 36 with opponents batting .143 against him.

The Clippers are set to receive Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round draft picks and one second-round pick in the deal. Los Angeles' own first-round pick in the upcoming draft is owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

If Indiana's first-round pick this year's draft is outside of the 1-4 and 10-30 picks range, it converted to the Pacers' 2031 unprotected first-round pick, according to the report.

The 7-foot Zubac, who is in his 10th NBA season, has averaged 14.4 points with 11.0 rebounds in 43 games (42 starts) for Los Angeles this season. Brown, 26, has averaged 2.9 points in 34 games off the bench.

Mathurin, 23, is scoring 17.8 points with 5.4 rebounds in 28 games (24 starts) for the Pacers this season and 16.1 points with 4.6 rebounds in 237 games (109 starts) over four seasons with the team after he was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 draft.

Jackson, 24, is scoring 6.4 points with 5.6 rebounds in 38 games (14 starts) for Indiana.

The Clippers opened the season with a 6-21 record but turned it around while Zubac was out with an ankle injury. He has since returned following a five-game absence, with the Clippers now on a 17-6 run, although they have lost three of four.

It is the second trade of a Clippers starter in two days after the team officially sent guard James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday for guard Darius Garland.

Zubac, who did not play in Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers following the birth of his child, has averaged 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in 627 games (493 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers (2016-19) and Clippers.

--Field Level Media

The problem has been years in the making and has become a significant constitutional crisis, as people charged with crimes are routinely unable to fight their cases as they wait weeks, months or sometimes years for the state to appoint them lawyers. The attorney shortage – due in part to the increasing difficulty of recruiting attorneys for the low-salary, high-caseload jobs – has meant that people have had cases hanging over them for extended periods of time, impacting their housing, employment and families, advocates say.

Oregon's highest court ruled on Thursday that dismissals are required if the state failed to provide counsel within 60 days after arraignment for a misdemeanor and within 90 days for a felony. Statedataon unrepresented defendants showed that as of this week, more than 1,400 active cases fall in that category, including hundreds of people who have been waiting more than a year for an attorney.

The ruling dictates that the cases be dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can re-file charges. The court said charges can be brought again "when the state is able to provide the counsel to which a defendant is entitled". The ruling also said dismissal isn't required if during the 60- or 90-day period the defendant failed to appear in court for a required hearing.

The case originated with a man named Allen Rex Roberts, who was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and possession of a stolen car in August 2021. The charges were dismissed in October 2022 because of the state's failure to appoint him a lawyer, but in April 2024, prosecutors re-indicted Roberts on the same charges. For the next year, Roberts repeatedly returned to court for hearings where he was supposed to be appointed counsel, but each time no attorney was available. Eventually, his case was again dismissed due to a lack of attorneys.

The right to counsel isenshrinedin the Oregon and US constitutions, and the shortage of attorneys has led to mass violations of those fundamental rights and pushed the criminal legal system to the brink, advocates say. The vast majority of defendants in the state are indigent and cannot afford a private attorney.

"Many folks who are eligible for dismissal after the court's opinion today have been facing the criminal justice system without assistance for months or years," said Jessica Snyder, a lawyer who co-wrote an amicus brief in the case on behalf of the federal public defenders in Oregon. "The harm is great. It has led to individuals losing their housing, losing contact with their children because of no-contact orders, [and] losing the opportunity to preserve evidence in their criminal case."

Some defendants would have been able to quickly resolve their cases if they simply could afford a private attorney, Snyder noted.

"The toll is also psychological. A lot of clients talked about the despair they felt coming back to court over and over again without someone to help them, how confused they felt, how the court wouldn't listen to their concerns or prosecutors wouldn't help them navigate the system," said Snyder.

A previous courtrulingdictated that the state must release defendants from jail within seven days of appearing in court if they aren't appointed an attorney. That means the more than 1,400 cases impacted by Thursday's ruling mostly involve defendants who are already out of custody.

The attorney shortage is a systemic and statewide problem in Oregon, and thecauses are complex, with criminal defense lawyers noting the state has long underfunded public defense, leaving few public defenders overwhelmed with massive caseloads. A backlog of cases during the pandemic and increasing time required to review materials like body-camera footage and digital evidence has further strained the system, advocates say.

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Oregon's crisis is particularly acute, but attorney shortages have createdproblemsacross the country, including inWashington state,Maine,Illinois,UtahandNew Hampshire.

Nadia Dahab, a Portland-based attorney who argued the Roberts case, said she hoped the ruling would force the state to pursue a "solution that recognizes the importance of access to counsel for people charged with a crime and allocates the resources necessary to make sure the public defense system adequately protects them".

"Roberts," she added, "is one of thousands, and the harms he suffered through the arrest warrant when the state recharged him and through the impact of having to take off work to go to court every month – those are very exemplary of what lots of others are facing."

Oregon's department of justice had argued against blanket dismissals in the Roberts case.

Dan Rayfield, the state attorney general, said in a statement on Thursday that the state's legislature had stepped up to increase investments, and he said: "Oregonians deserve solutions." He continued: 'Too many are being left without legal representation – some sitting in jail, others stuck in limbo outside of custody, unable to move their cases forward. That is not acceptable for public safety."

Rayfield said the state respects the supreme court's decision to "set clear limits on how long someone can go without counsel" and he expected the Oregon Public Defense Commission (OPDC), the agency that oversees the public defense system, to meet the standards established by the court and "take responsibility for ensuring people are represented".

The OPDC said in a statement it was assessing the decision and that the commission had made progress in reducing the number of unrepresented individuals and would "continue to address the crisis with urgency and transparency". The statement noted that there were 2,494 people without an attorney at the end of January, down 37% from the year prior.

"We will collaborate with our partners in the criminal justice community to respond to this ruling and build on this progress while protecting defendants' rights and public safety," the statement said.

The public defender crisis was exacerbated last year as Oregon abandoned a policy effort to decriminalize drugs, leading to a surge in arrests for possession that furtherburdened attorneys and clogged up the courts.

The Metropolitan Public Defenders, which represents indigent defendants in Portland and the surrounding region, said in a statement that increasing the number of public defenders alone would not solve the crisis, and urged for more reforms that would reduce the volume of cases in the system: "Oregon needs more community-based resources, and the system needs more … alternatives to prosecution and incarceration."

John Wentworth, president of the Oregon District Attorneys Association, which represents the state's prosecutors, criticized the supreme court decision in a statement, saying: "Criminal defendants, their victims and our communities will continue to lack justice as potentially thousands of cases will now be dismissed. This is an immense waste of taxpayers' money."

Wentworth, the district attorney of Clackamas county, called on the state's governor and OPDC to "fix this problem now", writing: "Our indigent defense system must deliver the service it is funded to provide."