Since the 1930s, the National Football League has handed out an annual award to its most outstanding player. This article explores the NFL's most excellent players who received the coveted award throughout history. Stick around and learn more about the complete list of past NFL MVP winners.

What makes a player an MVP? Excellent sportsmanship and performance on the field will undeniably distinguish one athlete from the next. However, these players have exceeded the coaching, fans, and teammates' expectations by earning the most valuable player award.

At the time of writing, the Associated Press is responsible for giving out the NFL Most Valuable Player Award. However, past awards were issued by prominent media organisations such as the Newspaper Enterprise Association, the United Press International, and the Pro Football Writers of America.

Who was the first person to win MVP in the NFL?

Although most publications record the 1957 award as the first MVP trophy, Detroit Lions' quarterback, Dutch Clark, received the Gruen Award for excellent sportsmanship. Sponsored by the Gruen Watch company, the award was the equivalent of today's AP NFL most valuable player award.

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In 1938, New York Giants lineman, Mel Hein, paved the path for future league MVP winners when he received the inaugural award Joe F. Carr trophy. Although he played in various positions throughout his career, he remains the only MVP lineman.

Following the inaugural MVP award under the then NFL president, Joe F. Carr, in 1938, eight more football players received the trophy. This is a complete list of all the Joe F. Carr MVP trophy winners, their positions, and their teams.

Between 1947 and 1956, the award took on different names under the Sporting News and United Press International organizations. However, in 1957, the inaugural Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award was handed to Cleveland Browns' Jim Brown.

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Since 1957, there have been 64 winners of the coveted trophy. Here is a list of the last 20 NFL MVPs by year and team since 2013.

NFL MVP winners by year since 2003

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All multiple NFL MVP winners

In 1941 and 1942, Green Bay Packers' left end, Don Hutson, won the first back-to-back NFL MVP award. Since then, eight more football players have won the trophy multiple times. Look at a detailed summary of the players and their illustrious careers.

Jim Brown

Cleveland Browns fullback Jim Brown, who won the first NFL MVP, also made history after winning it twice in 1957 and 1958. At the time of his retirement, no other players had the most yards or recorded as many touchdowns, rushing touchdowns as Brown had.

Joe Montana

In addition to winning two back-to-back excellence honours, Montana earned himself three Super Bowl MVP awards before retirement. To add to his fame, Montana stamped his name in football greatness after becoming one of the first quarterbacks to win four Super Bowl rings.

Steve Young

Before becoming ESPN's NFL analyst, Young was considered to be one of the greatest NFL players of all time. The Hall of Fame legend won the 1992 and 1994 AP MVP awards and three Super Bowls during his active career.

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Brett Favre

Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre is one of the most impressive back-to-back NFL MVP winners. How many MVPs does Brett Favre have? Between 1995 and 1997, he bagged the Associated Press award in his most dominant stretch in the league.

Kurt Warner

Although claims that Kurt Warner was a rookie when he won MVP in 1999 are untrue, he was named MVP in the first year he played as a starter. Impressively, he earned his first Superbowl title the next year, followed by a second MVP award in 2001.

Peyton Manning

Who has won the most MVP awards in the NFL? 5-time NFL MVP winner Peyton Manning set legendary records in the league after he added two Super Bowl wins in 2007 and 2016. With one of the highest passing yards and touchdown passes in the league's history, he is undoubtedly one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

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Tom Brady

As the true picture of longevity, Brady has gone down in history for recording repeated success as he grows older. The three-time award winner s the oldest player to win Super Bowl MVP and AP NFL MVP awards.

Aaron Rodgers

In 2011, the Green Bay Packers star quarterback began a 4-time NFL MVP winning streak that ended in 2021. Additionally, Rodgers is a long-time stats leader in the league, holding the highest touchdown passes and passing yards.

Heisman and NFL MVP winners

Has anyone won Heisman and NFL MVP? While the Associated Press recognizes outstanding players in the league, the Heisman Trophy is awarded to excellent college football players. However, since 1935, only one awardee of the Heisman Trophy, Marcus Allen, has received the NFL MVP trophy.

Unanimous NFL MVP winners

Annually, the league's most valuable player is selected through a vote by a 50-member panel. Since 1957, only two players have received a unanimous vote from all 50 members of the voting panel. These unstoppable quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Lamar Jackson, received their wins in 2010 and 2019, respectively.

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Which NFL team has the most MP winners?

As of February 2023, the Green Bay Packers hold the record for the most outstanding players. Here is a summary of the teams with the most NFL MVP winners.

As the NFL MVP 2023, race heats up, past active NFL MVP winners eagerly await the February ninth announcement. Until then, fans can only speculate on who is the most favoured player to win the trophy.

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