Who Would Have Won the Last Four NFL MVP Awards If Quarterbacks Weren’t Considered?
The 2023 NFL season is reaching its business end already, despite the fact that it feels like two minutes since the Detroit Lions stunned the Kansas City Chiefs in this year’s curtain raiser. The Missouri-based reigning champions have recovered to a 7-2 record since that fateful day at the start of September and they look like the team to beat once more. At least that’s what the bookies think.
The Chiefs have been installed as the +500 favorites to retain the Lombardi they won in dramatic fashion at Super Bowl LVII inside Arizona’s State Farm Stadium back in February. Andy Reid’s men rallied from a ten-point half-time deficit to secure the famous trophy with a last-gasp field goal, breaking the hearts of Philadelphia Eagles fans the world over. Jalen Hurts delivered one of the all-time great performances in the Big Game, despite ending up on the losing end, and he could do nothing to prevent his counterpart Patrick Mahomes from picking up the Super Bowl MVP award.
The former Texas Tech standout also claimed the regular season MVP award, just as he did back in 2018. With the Chiefs looking ominous once more, NFL bets have installed the 28-year-old as the +325 second favorite to retain the award at the culmination of the current campaign. But what if quarterbacks weren’t considered for the award?
Did you know that in the 66-year history of the MVP award, the honor has only been claimed by a non-QB on 20 occasions, less than a third of the time? The award has always been dominated by quarterbacks, and it’s rare to see a player from any other position win it. But, what if we removed the quarterbacks from the rankings? Who should win the NFL MVP award then?
Let’s take a moment and look back at the last four years of the NFL season and determine who could have walked away with the award if quarterbacks were not considered.
2022 – Justin Jefferson
When you look at the talent of Justin Jefferson, it’s hard to believe that he wasn’t even considered for the MVP award last year. The Minnesota Vikings star had a career year, topping the entire league in terms of both receiving yards (1,809) and in terms of receptions. He was also crucial to the Minneapolis-based side having one of their best campaigns in recent years, finishing with an impressive 13-4 record, the third best in the entire NFC behind the eventual conference champion Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers.
However, the Vikings’ campaign would end in the opening round of the playoffs when they were stunned by the forever-clutch New York Giants. This season, they don’t seem to have recovered and an injury to star quarterback Kirk Cousins has only piled on the misery. They currently sit second in the NFC North with six wins and four losses, and they will need to be at their very best if they are to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
2021 – Cooper Kupp
Last year, if you took Matthew Stafford off the Los Angeles Rams team, there wouldn’t be any argument; Cooper Kupp would be the hero. His 2021 campaign was blockbuster, to say the least, as Kupp led the league in receiving yards with 1,947, 10 touchdowns, and 145 receptions. If we take a look at the receiving yards alone, his closest competitor was Davante Adams, who finished a distant second some 396 yards shy of the former East Washington Eagle.
But the 30-year-old would take home an MVP award after being named the star of the show as his Los Angeles Rams came from behind to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Kupp grabbed hold of a last-gasp touchdown to secure the victory, and he was rewarded for his honors with the MVP award in the Big Game.
2020 – Derrick Henry
When you become just the eighth man in history to become a member of the 2,000 club, it’s safe to stay one had the season of their life. That is the year that Derrick Henry had in 2020, amassing a mighty 2,027 rushing yards, 450 clear of second place Dalvin Cook. His exploits were good enough to see him named the offensive player of the year – just as he was the year before when he secured 1,540 yards – but not enough to usurp Aaron Rodgers as that year’s MVP.
Henry led the league both in terms of the aforementioned rushing yards as well as touchdowns (17) and he single-handedly carried the Titans to the playoffs. He was a dominant force on the field and made running the ball look easy. Unfortunately, his teammates couldn’t back him up, and the Titans were eliminated from the playoffs in the wildcard round by the Baltimore Ravens.
2019 – Michael Thomas
The NFL MVP award for 2019 was undoubtedly Lamar Jackson’s dominion, but if quarterbacks weren’t considered, it’s possible that Michael Thomas would have walked away with the award. the New Orleans Saints wide receiver was almost unstoppable that year, catching an NFL record 149 passes for 1,725 yards and scoring nine touchdowns. His incredible season earned him Offensive Player of the Year, well deserved, of course, but what about MVP?
It’s hard to defend that a player who broke records shouldn’t have received the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Unfortunately, his standout year came in the same season when Lamar Jackson was on fire, winning the coveted award unanimously for just the second time in history.
