Let’s be real for a second. If you’re looking at the list of NFL MVPs by position, it’s mostly just a long, repetitive roll call of quarterbacks. It’s almost predictable at this point. Since the Associated Press started handing this thing out in 1957, the league has changed rules, shifted schemes, and evolved into a billion-dollar juggernaut, but the voters' obsession with the guy under center has only intensified.
Honestly, it’s gotten a bit ridiculous. We’ve seen generational talents at wide receiver and defensive end basically get ignored because they don't touch the ball every play. But while the "Quarterback Award" label is mostly true, the exceptions are where the real stories live. There are some absolute anomalies in the history books—like the time a kicker won or when a defensive tackle terrorized the league so badly that voters had no choice but to notice.
The Quarterback Stranglehold
Numbers don’t lie. Quarterbacks have secured over 45 MVP titles. That’s more than double every other position combined. If you look at the last decade alone, it’s a total lockout. The last time a non-QB took the hardware home was in 2012.
Why? Basically, the modern NFL is built to make QBs look like gods. With pass-interference rules getting stricter and the "defenseless receiver" protections, passing numbers have skyrocketed. When Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers puts up 4,500 yards and 40 touchdowns, it’s hard for a voter to look at a linebacker with 150 tackles and say, "Yeah, that guy was more valuable."
Peyton Manning actually holds the record with five MVPs. Five! He won them across two different decades and two different teams (Colts and Broncos). Then you’ve got Rodgers with four, and legends like Tom Brady, Brett Favre, and Johnny Unitas with three apiece. It’s a club that’s increasingly hard to crash if you aren't the one calling the signals in the huddle.
The Running Back Glory Days
There was a time, believe it or not, when running backs were actually the focal point of the league. Between the late 50s and the early 2000s, a "workhorse" back was the ultimate status symbol for an NFL offense.
Jim Brown was the original MVP king, winning it three times (1957, 1958, and 1965). He was so dominant that he’s still the only player to win MVP as a rookie. Think about that. A kid straight out of Syracuse walked into the league and was immediately the most valuable person on the field.
Since Brown, we’ve seen some legendary seasons from the backfield:
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- O.J. Simpson (1973): The first human to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, and he did it in just 14 games.
- Walter Payton (1977): "Sweetness" carried a mediocre Bears team to the playoffs on sheer will.
- Barry Sanders (1997): He shared the award with Brett Favre after an insane 2,053-yard campaign.
- Adrian Peterson (2012): The most recent non-QB winner. He came back from a shredded ACL to rush for 2,097 yards, nearly breaking Eric Dickerson's all-time record.
But lately? The "devaluation of the running back" is a real thing. Teams don't want to pay them, and voters don't want to crown them. Unless someone rushes for 2,200 yards or scores 30 touchdowns, they’re probably finishing second to a quarterback who threw for 4,000 yards.
The Defensive Unicorns: Page and Taylor
Winning MVP as a defensive player is like finding a four-leaf clover while being struck by lightning. It has only happened twice. Ever.
The first was Alan Page in 1971. Page was a defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings and a key part of the "Purple People Eaters." He didn't just play defense; he disrupted the entire geometry of the game. In '71, he had around 9 sacks (which weren't even an official stat yet) and 109 tackles. He was constantly in the backfield, blocking punts and forcing safeties.
Then came the hurricane known as Lawrence Taylor in 1986. If you talk to anyone who watched football in the 80s, they’ll tell you LT changed the game forever. He finished that season with 20.5 sacks. He didn't just tackle quarterbacks; he destroyed them. The Giants went 14-2 and won the Super Bowl, and Taylor was the clear, undisputed engine of that team.
Since Taylor, defenders have come close. J.J. Watt had a legitimate case in 2014, and Aaron Donald has been a finalist, but the "value" argument almost always swings back to the guys who put points on the scoreboard.
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The Kicker Who Broke the System
This is the one that still makes people scratch their heads. In 1982, Mark Moseley, a placekicker for the Washington Redskins, won the MVP.
Context is everything here. 1982 was a strike-shortened season. Teams only played nine games. It was a weird, disjointed year where no single offensive player really pulled away from the pack. Moseley, meanwhile, was perfect for most of the season. He set a record by making 20 of 21 field goals (95.2%), including several game-winners that kept Washington's season alive.
Was he really the most "valuable" player in the league? Probably not in the traditional sense. Many historians think the vote was a bit of a protest by the writers against the star players who went on strike. Regardless, his name is in the books. It’s a feat that will almost certainly never happen again.
The Great Wide Receiver Snub
You want to talk about a position that gets no love? Look at the wide receivers. Zero. Not a single wide receiver has ever won the NFL MVP.
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Even Jerry Rice, the greatest to ever do it, couldn't clinch it. In 1987, Rice caught 22 touchdowns in just 12 games. That’s a stat line that looks like a glitch in a video game. He finished second in the voting to John Elway.
In 2021, Cooper Kupp had the "Triple Crown"—leading the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He didn't even get close to winning. It seems that if you're a receiver, the voters decide your success is just a byproduct of having a great quarterback. It's a catch-22 that keeps one of the most explosive positions in sports off the MVP podium.
Why the MVP Debate Still Matters
When we talk about NFL MVPs by position, we’re really talking about how we define "value." Is it the player who is statistically the best? Or the one whose team would completely collapse without them?
If it's the latter, the quarterback will always win. If you take Patrick Mahomes off the Chiefs, they’re a different team. If you take a star cornerback off a roster, they can usually scheme around it.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors:
- Stop betting on "Long Shots": Unless a non-QB has a historic, record-breaking year (like 2,000+ yards or 22+ sacks), don't waste your money on them for MVP.
- Watch the narrative: MVP is a media-voted award. The "story" matters as much as the stats. A QB coming back from injury or leading a "cinderella" team has a massive edge.
- Look at Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY): This has basically become the "Best Non-QB Award." If you want to see the best running backs and receivers get recognized, that's the trophy to follow.
The trend isn't likely to change anytime soon. As long as the NFL continues to be a pass-first league, the MVP trophy will continue to have a permanent home on a quarterback's mantle. We might get another defensive outlier once every thirty years, but for now, it's a QB's world and everyone else is just playing in it.
To really get a feel for how lopsided this is, just look at the voting shares over the last five years. Quarterbacks consistently pull in 90% or more of the first-place votes. It's not just a trend; it's the new standard for how the league's elite are measured.