A picture of the 2010 NFL MVP trophy. Photo Courtesy of kpunn
Ben Staker
Associate Sports Editor
Every year the NFL votes one player to be named the league’s Most Valuable Player, but sometimes the player that wins it doesn’t necessarily fit the criteria the name of the award is supposed to represent.
The NFL’s MVP award typically goes to a quarterback who is on the best team in the league. A non-quarterback hasn’t won the MVP since former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson did it in 2012.
Sure, the quarterback position is undoubtedly the most valuable and important position on the field, but that doesn’t mean they should win the MVP every year. Often voters for the award fall into the trap of voting for a player based on their team’s success or the position they play instead of voting for the player who is truly the league’s most valuable player of the season.
This season in the NFL, the problem is even more prevalent than it has ever been. For example, in FOX Sports’ top ten betting odds to win the MVP, there is one non-quarterback in the list, that being San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. If you have followed the NFL closely this year you would know that no team or quarterback has done enough to set themselves apart from the rest of the league in the first half of the season.
According to FOX Sports’ top ten betting odds to win the league MVP right now the three most likely players to win the award are Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. While all three of these players have had outstanding team success, they have also had their fair share of struggles. Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts have both thrown eight interceptions in nine games and Lamar Jackson only has fourteen total touchdowns on the season, to go along with thirteen turnovers. If there’s any year where a non-quarterback should win the MVP, this is the year, and voters should know that.
Some non-quarterbacks to keep an eye on in the MVP race include 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, and Steelers defensive end T.J. Watt. All four of these players are on teams that are having a lot of success to start the year. They’ve also been the most valuable players on their respective teams as well. If you’re curious to see these players’ impact on their teams, look up their stats.
We’re only halfway through this year’s NFL season, but it’s shaping up to be the year of non-quarterbacks and I hope anyone with an MVP vote is able to see that when the time comes to vote for the award.
