Aaron Rodgers won the MVP award last night, and that's fair. He had a great year and the Packers came within a bizarre sequence of events of going to the Super Bowl; arguably they wouldn't have even been a playoff team with a lesser quarterback.
The fact that he won so handily over other deserving candidates J.J. Watt and DeMarco Murray, though, speaks to how difficult it is for a non-quarterback to win the award in today's NFL. Maybe the should just call it the MVQ award and move on.
Seven of the last eight winners have been quarterbacks, the league's three elite quarterbacks, in fact (Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady). Twelve of the last 15 winners and 17 of the last 22 have been quarterbacks, as well.
This hasn't always been the case. In the 30 years from 1957 through 1986, just over half (17) of the MVPs were quarterbacks. It's more of a passing league now, and quarterbacks dominate. Both the stat sheet and the MVP vote. Since a defensive player last won in 1986 (Lawrence Taylor), 22 of 30 MVPs have been quarterbacks.
NFL MVPs through history are presented below. Quarterbacks are in bold.
NFL MVPs, 1957-PRESENT | ||
---|---|---|
Year | MVP | Team |
2014 | Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay Packers |
2013 | Peyton Manning | Denver Broncos |
2012 | Adrian Peterson | Minnesota Vikings |
2011 | Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay Packers |
2010 | Tom Brady | New England Patriots |
2009 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts |
2008 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts |
2007 | Tom Brady | New England Patriots |
2006 | LaDainian Tomlinson | San Diego Chargers |
2005 | Shaun Alexander | Seattle Seahawks |
2004 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts |
2003 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts |
2003 | Steve McNair | Tennessee Titans |
2002 | Rich Gannon | Oakland Raiders |
2001 | Kurt Warner | St. Louis Rams |
2000 | Marshall Faulk | St. Louis Rams |
1999 | Kurt Warner | St. Louis Rams |
1998 | Terrell Davis | Denver Broncos |
1997 | Brett Favre | Green Bay Packers |
1997 | Barry Sanders | Detroit Lions |
1996 | Brett Favre | Green Bay Packers |
1995 | Brett Favre | Green Bay Packers |
1994 | Steve Young | San Francisco 49ers |
1993 | Emmitt Smith | Dallas Cowboys |
1992 | Steve Young | San Francisco 49ers |
1991 | Thurman Thomas | Buffalo Bills |
1990 | Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers |
1989 | Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers |
1988 | Boomer Esiason | Cincinnati Bengals |
1987 | John Elway | Denver Broncos |
1986 | Lawrence Taylor | New York Giants |
1985 | Marcus Allen | Los Angeles Raiders |
1984 | Dan Marino | Miami Dolphins |
1983 | Joe Theismann | Washington Redskins |
1982 | Mark Moseley | Washington Redskins |
1981 | Ken Anderson | Cincinnati Bengals |
1980 | Brian Sipe | Cleveland Browns |
1979 | Earl Campbell | Houston Oilers |
1978 | Terry Bradshaw | Pittsburgh Steelers |
1977 | Walter Payton | Chicago Bears |
1976 | Bert Jones | Baltimore Colts |
1975 | Fran Tarkenton | Minnesota Vikings |
1974 | Ken Stabler | Oakland Raiders |
1973 | O.J. Simpson | Buffalo Bills |
1972 | Larry Brown | Washington Redskins |
1971 | Alan Page | Minnesota Vikings |
1970 | John Brodie | San Francisco 49ers |
1969 | Roman Gabriel | Los Angeles Rams |
1968 | Earl Morrall | Baltimore Colts |
1967 | Johnny Unitas | Baltimore Colts |
1966 | Bart Starr | Green Bay Packers |
1965 | Jim Brown | Cleveland Browns |
1964 | Johnny Unitas | Baltimore Colts |
1963 | Y.A. Tittle | New York Giants |
1962 | Jim Taylor | Green Bay Packers |
1961 | Paul Hornung | Green Bay Packers |
1960 | Norm Van Brocklin | Philadelphia Eagles |
1959 | Johnny Unitas | Baltimore Colts |
1958 | Jim Brown | Cleveland Browns |
1957 | Jim Brown | Cleveland Browns |
--Andy Richardson