Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award


The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award is presented annually by the Associated Press to a player in the National Football League deemed to have been the "most valuable" in that year's regular season. While there have been many selectors of NFL MVPs in the past, today the MVP award presented by the AP is considered the de facto official NFL MVP award and the most prestigious. Since 2011, the NFL has held the annual NFL Honors ceremony to recognize the winner of each year's AP MVP award, along with other AP awards, such as the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year and AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The most recent AP NFL MVP is quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, who is the second youngest player ever to receive the award.
The AP has presented an award recognizing the NFL's top player since 1957. The award is voted upon by a panel of 50 sportswriters at the end of the regular season, before the playoffs, though the results are not announced to the public until the day before the Super Bowl. The sportswriters chosen regularly follow the NFL, and remain mostly consistent from year to year. They are chosen based on expertise and are independent of the league itself. Voters for the award have included Troy Aikman of Fox Sports; Cris Collinsworth and Tony Dungy of NBC Sports; and Herm Edwards of ESPN. Only two players in the history of the award have won it unanimously: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in 2010 and Jackson in 2019.
Due to voters' tendency to favor offensive positions, the award has been overwhelmingly dominated by offensive players; of the 57 undisputed winners, 54 played an offensive position: 38 quarterbacks and 16 running backs. Two defensive players have won the award: Alan Page in 1971 as a defensive tackle, and Lawrence Taylor as a linebacker in 1986. The sole special teams player to be named AP NFL MVP was Mark Moseley, who won as a placekicker in 1982.
Thirteen awardees also won the Super Bowl in the same season. However, this has not occurred since 1999, when MVP Kurt Warner won Super Bowl XXXIV with the St. Louis Rams. Since then, nine AP NFL MVPs have led their team to the Super Bowl and were defeated each time. This has led to tongue-in-cheek claims in recent years that there is a "curse" preventing the awardee's team from winning the Super Bowl.
Seven NFL franchises have not produced an MVP, the New York Jets, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts have the most overall winners with eight; if including disputed awards, the Colts would have the most overall winners, with ten. The Green Bay Packers have the most unique winners with five different players winning the award.
Only ten players have won the Super Bowl and MVP in the same season, Bart Starr in 1966, Terry Bradshaw in 1978, Mark Moseley in 1982, Lawrence Taylor in 1986, Joe Montana in 1989, Emmitt Smith in 1993, Steve Young in 1994, Brett Favre in 1996 Terrell Davis in 1998 and Kurt Warner in 1999.

Discrepancies

The AP has presented an award recognizing the NFL's top player since the 1957 season, although the pre-1961 awardees are recognized in the Official NFL Record and Fact Book as winning the AP's "NFL Most Outstanding Player Award", and the 1962 winner was recognized as the AP's "Player of the Year". The AP considers 1961 to be the first year in which it presented a "Most Valuable Player" award. Thus there are numerous inconsistencies among sources regarding each of the first four awards, and whether or not the winners are included in the overall list of AP MVP winners at all. The discrepancies include 1958's winner being either Jim Brown or Gino Marchetti; the 1959 winner as Johnny Unitas or Charlie Conerly; and whether or not Norm Van Brocklin shared the award in 1960 with Joe Schmidt.

Winners

SeasonPlayerPositionTeamRef
1961Running backGreen Bay Packers
1962Running backGreen Bay Packers
1963QuarterbackNew York Giants
1964 QuarterbackBaltimore Colts
1965 Running backCleveland Browns
1966QuarterbackGreen Bay Packers
1967 QuarterbackBaltimore Colts
1968QuarterbackBaltimore Colts
1969QuarterbackLos Angeles Rams
1970QuarterbackSan Francisco 49ers
1971Defensive tackleMinnesota Vikings
1972Running backWashington Redskins
1973Running backBuffalo Bills
1974QuarterbackOakland Raiders
1975QuarterbackMinnesota Vikings
1976QuarterbackBaltimore Colts
1977Running backChicago Bears
1978QuarterbackPittsburgh Steelers
1979Running backHouston Oilers
1980QuarterbackCleveland Browns
1981QuarterbackCincinnati Bengals
1982PlacekickerWashington Redskins
1983QuarterbackWashington Redskins
1984QuarterbackMiami Dolphins
1985Running backLos Angeles Raiders
1986LinebackerNew York Giants
1987QuarterbackDenver Broncos
1988QuarterbackCincinnati Bengals
1989QuarterbackSan Francisco 49ers
1990 QuarterbackSan Francisco 49ers
1991Running backBuffalo Bills
1992QuarterbackSan Francisco 49ers
1993Running backDallas Cowboys
1994 QuarterbackSan Francisco 49ers
1995QuarterbackGreen Bay Packers
1996 QuarterbackGreen Bay Packers
1997
Quarterback
Running back		Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions
1998Running backDenver Broncos
1999QuarterbackSt. Louis Rams
2000Running backSt. Louis Rams
2001 QuarterbackSt. Louis Rams
2002QuarterbackOakland Raiders
2003
QuarterbackIndianapolis Colts
Tennessee Titans
2004 QuarterbackIndianapolis Colts
2005Running backSeattle Seahawks
2006Running backSan Diego Chargers
2007QuarterbackNew England Patriots
2008 QuarterbackIndianapolis Colts
2009 QuarterbackIndianapolis Colts
2010 QuarterbackNew England Patriots
2011QuarterbackGreen Bay Packers
2012Running backMinnesota Vikings
2013 QuarterbackDenver Broncos
2014 QuarterbackGreen Bay Packers
2015QuarterbackCarolina Panthers
2016QuarterbackAtlanta Falcons
2017 QuarterbackNew England Patriots
2018QuarterbackKansas City Chiefs
2019QuarterbackBaltimore Ravens

Multiple-time winners