NFL MVP voter explains controversial vote that helped seal Drake Maye's second-place finish

New England Patriots star Drake Maye was one first-place vote away from winning his first MVP.

He got 361 total points and 23 first-place votes, with Matthew Stafford narrowly beating him with 366 points and 24 first-place selections. As usual, it was a tight race between the first two, with other candidates only getting a handful of votes. 

One particular vote, however, helped seal Maye's fate. Someone gave Justin Herbert the first-place vote that would've helped Maye win, and Patriots fans online were livid.

That's why PFF analyst Sam Monson took to social media to come clean about his selection and justify his vote for Herbert.

MVP voter justifies controversial Justin Herbert pick

"I was the Justin Herbert vote," Monson wrote on X. "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.'"

To each his own. Controversial as it may be, the reality is that there's no true definition of what it means to be an MVP.

Some may argue that the MVP is the best player in the league, while others will say that it should go to the best player on the best team. Others, like Monson, believe the MVP is the player who brings the most value, regardless of team record or position. 

Maye clearly had an MVP-caliber campaign, logging 4,394 passing yards, 35 total touchdowns and eight picks while completing 72 percent of his passes, per Pro Football Reference. 

Stafford wasn't too bad himself, passing for 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns and eight interceptions on a 65 percent completion percentage, according to Football Reference.

At the end of the day, both Maye and Stafford would've been deserving winners. Also, Maye is just in his second year in the league, so this likely won't be the last time he makes the podium.