With reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett joining reigning league MVP Matthew Stafford, the 2026 Rams will occupy a unique place in NFL history.
This year’s Rams are the first team to have both the previous season’s MVP at quarterback, and the previous season’s Defensive Player of the Year on the roster as well. Stafford and Garrett won the league’s two most prestigious on-field awards for the 2025 season.
Technically, two teams have had both the reigning MVP and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, as two players have won both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season: Vikings defensive lineman Alan Page won both awards in 1971, the first year the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award was given, and Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor won both awards in 1986. So the 1972 Vikings and 1987 Giants did have the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year on their teams, but both were the same person.
The only other team to have both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year was the 1994 49ers, with quarterback Steve Young and cornerback Deion Sanders. But Sanders left for Dallas in free agency that offseason, so the 1995 49ers did not have both reigning award winners.
The Rams were already among the favorites to win the Super Bowl even before yesterday’s big trade. With Stafford remaining in Los Angeles and Garrett joining him, it’s easy to see why they’re now the overwhelming favorites.
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