The stellar debut of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has made him the runaway favorite to be named NFL offensive rookie of the year.
Can he take it one very big step farther? Could he be the NFL MVP as a rookie?
As noted recently by NFL senior researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno, only one rookie has won the league’s MVP award — Jim Brown, in 1957. Stroud could be the second.
As also noted by Holzman-Escareno, Stroud (with 291.8 yards per game) could be the first rookie to lead the league in passing yards per game since Davey O’Brien, in 1939. (Back then, 120.4 yards per game was enough to secure that title.) While that will help Stroud’s case, it won’t be enough without team success.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Stroud at 25-1 to win it. Only seven players (Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy) have better odds.
To fuel Stroud’s case, the Texans (currently 5-4) need to keep winning. They need to make the playoffs. They might even need to win the division. They possibly need to rocket all the way to the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Unless Stroud does something truly historic (e.g., threaten or break the single-season passing yardage record), it becomes much harder to win the MVP award without his team capturing the No. 1 seed. In recent years, that’s what the award has become — a prize for the quarterback on one of the teams with one of the top seeds in either conference. Now that only the No. 1 seed gets a playoff bye, the quarterback of one of the two No. 1 seeds has become the default choice.
Stroud’s case could be aided by, for example, the 49ers and the Dolphins getting the No. 1 seeds. If his numbers exceed those of Purdy and Tagovailoa, maybe Stroud gets enough votes, even if the Texans aren’t one of the top two seeds in the AFC.
The revised procedure for MVP voting, with each voter listing five names (ranked first through fifth), could make for some interesting tabulations. If the first-place votes are sufficiently jumbled and if Stroud is No. 2 on enough ballots, maybe he can win it without having the majority, or even a plurality, of first-place votes.
Regardless, the Texans need to get to the playoffs to give Stroud a viable shot at doing something that hasn’t been done in 66 years. If they do, Stroud could indeed become the first rookie since Jim Brown to win it, and the first rookie quarterback to ever capture the prize.
FAQs
Regardless, the Texans need to get to the playoffs to give Stroud a viable shot at doing something that hasn't been done in 66 years. If they do, Stroud could indeed become the first rookie since Jim Brown to win it, and the first rookie quarterback to ever capture the prize.
Can a rookie QB win MVP? ›
While no rookie has ever won Super Bowl MVP, Jim Brown in 1957 was named NFL MVP as a rookie. Brown and the Browns lost to the Lions in the NFL Championship Game that year.
Who decides who wins MVP? ›
Until the 1979–80 season, the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players. Since the 1980–81 season, the award is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Each member of the voting panel casts a vote for first to fifth place selections.
Has any other position won MVP? ›
Running backs, defensive players and even a kicker have won the NFL MVP previously, though in the modern era it is an award dominated by star quarterbacks. In 1957, the Associated Press first began recognizing the best player of the year.
Has a rookie QB ever won a Super Bowl? ›
No rookie quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl in the 57 years of the game's existence as the starter. In fact, no rookie has ever even reached the Super Bowl as the starter for a team.
Has a losing QB ever won MVP? ›
The answer is yes, it has happened...just once. Chuck Howley is the only player in NFL history to win Super Bowl MVP after his team lost the game, taking home the award in 1971 after his Dallas Cowboys fell to the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl 5.
Has a non QB ever won MVP? ›
One of the most notable exceptions to the quarterback dominance in MVP awards occurred in the 1970s. For the first and only time, the Super Bowl MVP was awarded to a defensive player from the losing team, Chuck Howley of the Dallas Cowboys.
Who won the NFL MVP in 2024? ›
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took home his second AP NFL Most Valuable Player award at the 2024 “NFL Honors” ceremony on Thursday night at the Resorts World Theater in Las Vegas.
Who is the 2024 Super Bowl MVP? ›
Patrick Mahomes wins 2024 Super Bowl MVP: Chiefs QB joins Tom Brady, Joe Montana as only 3-time award winners - CBSSports.com.
Who is the oldest NBA MVP ever? ›
Karl Malone is the oldest MVP in a season. He was 35 years old in 1998-99.
LAS VEGAS -- Moments after leading a winning scoring drive in overtime, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named Super Bowl LVIII MVP on Sunday night.
Who has the most Super Bowl rings? ›
Which players have the most Super Bowl wins overall? Tom Brady has won the most Super Bowls of any player in NFL history with seven. Brady won the 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019 Super Bowls quarterbacking the New England Patriots, and the 2021 Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Has a kicker ever won the MVP in the NFL? ›
Mark Moseley of the then-Washington Redskins (now, the Commanders) was voted the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1982, becoming the first and only kicker to ever receive the award.
Who is the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl? ›
Here's a full list of the youngest quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl:
- Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (23 years, 11 months and three days)
- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (24 years, four months and 16 days)
- Tom Brady, New England Patriots (24 years and six months)
It's been an amazing journey for me so far.” Tom Brady, who retired at age 45, was the oldest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, so that's likely the blueprint Wilson is aiming to follow.
Has a black quarterback ever won the Super Bowl? ›
Despite the careers of Doug Williams, Randall Cunningham, Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick, Warren Moon remains the only Black QB in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only three Black quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl — Mahomes, Williams and Russell Wilson.
Is it possible for a rookie to win MVP? ›
Has a rookie ever won the NBA MVP Award? Yes, a rookie has won the NBA MVP Award. In fact, this has happened on two occasions. Wilt Chamberlain won the prize in the 1959/60 season, which was his rookie year, as he went on to put together an outstanding career in which he was named MVP four times.
Had a rookie ever won the MVP? ›
However, the only player to win the NFL MVP award as a rookie was the first-ever winner of the coveted prize, Jim Brown in 1957.
Has a rookie QB ever won a playoff game? ›
Aaron Brooks, New Orleans Saints (2000)
Brooks made history for being the first rookie QB to knock off the defending Super Bowl champs in the playoffs when he and the Saints beat the Rams.
Has a 2nd year QB ever won the Super Bowl? ›
Has a Second-Year Quarterback Ever Won the Super Bowl? Four of the seven second-year quarterbacks to start a Super Bowl in their second season managed to lift the Lombardi Trophy. Those four are Warner, Brady, Roethlisberger, and Wilson.
