The NFL MVP award has become increasingly associated with quarterbacks in recent years. The last time a non-QB player won the MVP award was back in 2012.
Here are the winners of the NFL MVP award from 2020 to 2024.
- 2024: Josh Allen
- 2023: Lamar Jackson
- 2022: Patrick Mahomes
- 2021: Aaron Rodgers
- 2020: Aaron Rodgers
It is no surprise that the leading candidates for NFL MVP in 2025 are QBs.
NFL MVP Favorites
The first 19 favorites to win the award are QBs. Saquon Barkley is the only non-QB in the top 20 favorites, but he is the 20th favorite to win the award.
Here are the top 10 favorites to win the NFL MVP award.
- Lamar Jackson (+550)
- Josh Allen (+550)
- Joe Burrow (+650)
- Patrick Mahomes (+700)
- Jayden Daniels (+750)
- Jalen Hurts (+1700)
- Justin Herbert (+1800)
- C.J. Stroud (+2500)
- Baker Mayfield (+2500)
- Jordan Love (+2500)
There is a significant dropoff between the top five and players 6-10.
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are the leading favorites. They were both the two candidates last year, with Josh Allen narrowly defeating Jackson to win the NFL MVP.
Joe Burrow arguably had the best season of any QB. What held him back was his defense, which prevented the Bengals from making the playoffs. If it wasn’t for the lack of defense, Burrow had a strong argument to win the NFL MVP last season.
Patrick Mahomes will always be a candidate to win the NFL MVP award.
Jayden Daniels had an excellent rookie campaign, and he even had some consideration for the MVP award last season. He enters his second season among the favorites to win the MVP.
Hurts, Herbert, Stroud, Mayfield, and Love are all bunched together between 6-10. Hurts is coming off winning the Super Bowl. These five are not nearly as favored as the top five candidates.
Best Bet To Win NFL MVP
While Jackson and Allen are the favorites, Joe Burrow (+650) is the best bet to win NFL MVP.
He led the league in passing yards and passing TDs last season. The Bengals signed WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to new deals. Burrow will have his top two weapons on offense. If the Bengals can improve defensively, they will make the playoffs. Burrow will be the main reason why they do. He was arguably the best QB in the league last season. Burrow makes for the best bet to win the NFL MVP award.
It was tempting to say Jayden Daniels (+750) as well. He will also be the main reason for any success the Commanders once again have this season, like he was last year. Daniels took the Commanders to the NFC Championship game in his rookie season. Burrow is the best bet, but Daniels is a very close second.
Darkhorse NFL MVP Candidate
Jordan Love (+2500) makes for an interesting NFL MVP award bet. He is a good dark-horse bet, if you want to take a bigger risk.
The Packers are a very good team. With Love healthy, the Packers can win the NFC North and finish first in the NFC. They have a good all-around team, and Love is very talented. Injury is a risk with him, but if he is able to stay healthy, he will rack up wins and stats. This will be just his third full year as a starter, which in history for the Packers is when their QBs take off (Brett Favre & Aaron Rodgers).
NFL MVP voters look at wins, stats, and being the main reason why a team is successful. Jordan Love fits the bill for all three categories.
At +2500 odds, Jordan Love is a very good dark-horse NFL MVP candidate.
Non-QB MVP Candidates
If you want to take a really big risk and do not want to bet on a QB, four running backs are interesting candidates.
- Saquon Barkley (+5000)
- Jahmyr Gibbs (+8000)
- Christian McCaffrey (+10000)
- Bijan Robinson (+10000)
While it is wise to bet on a QB to win NFL MVP, four running backs make for a good but risky bet.
Saquon Barkley had MVP consideration last season. If the Eagles once again have the success they had last season, Barkley will once again be the main reason.
The same goes for the other three running backs. They are all the focal point of their offense. Gibbs is lights out for Detroit. McCaffrey will be the catalyst on offense for the 49ers this season. Bijan Robinson enters his second season as a major workhorse for the Falcons.
It is very risky, but these four running backs have MVP-level talent and can lead their offenses to success.
