NFL MVP: QB only award?
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At this point in the season it is not surprising to hear that coaches, broadcasters, and fans are beginning to debate who should be considered the top candidates for NFL MVP. The quarterback usually seems to be the only position people talk about. Since the Super Bowl era started in 1966, there have been 57 NFL MVP winners. However, there have only been 17 seasons where the award went to a non-quarterback and of those: 14 winners were running backs, one kicker and two defensive players.
The NFL needs to do a better job of trying to spread the award around and not just give it to the best quarterback on the best team. Even though the quarterback is often viewed as the team leader, other players can be the reason for their success. For example, last season TJ Watt, a defensive linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, broke the NFL record for quarterback sacks in a single season while only playing in 15 games and he was never considered to be the NFL MVP. The NFL has not had a defensive player win the award since Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants in 1986. The question is, what will it take for a change in this category? Everyone has heard the saying in football: defense wins championships, but apparently not awards.
Even different offensive positions need to receive more attention for their contributions. One player that falls into this category is Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp. During the 2021 season Kupp became the fourth player in NFL history to lead the league in receiving yards, touchdowns catches and overall catches. Wide receivers are some of the most important and skillful players on the field yet no wide receiver has ever taken home the MVP trophy.
Iām not alone in my opinion on this, plenty of NFL players agree. Dallas Cowboys stand out defensive linebacker, Micah Parsons, has also called out this bias on Twitter. It would be great for the sport of football to widen its awareness regarding other players for MVP instead of following the media drenched quarterbacks.