In 1957, the Associated Press (AP) awarded their first MVP to running back Jim Brown. Since then, 65 of 68 MVPs have been awarded to quarterbacks or running backs. Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page in 1971 and New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986 were the only two defensive players to be awarded AP's MVP Award.
The third non-offensive player to win MVP was place-kicker Mark Moseley, who improbably won it during the strike-shortened 1982 season for the Washington Redskins.
In 67 years of the AP MVP Award, only two defensive players have been given the honor. So, what will it take for the third to be crowned MVP?
Historical Examples
To better understand what it might take, let's look at the season Page had in 1971 and Taylor had in 1986. The award had been swept by primarily quarterbacks, with a handful of running backs, for the first 14 years of the AP's MVP Award.
In his award-winning season, when teams played only 14 regular season games, Page totaled 109 tackles, 35 assists, 10 sacks, three fumble recoveries, and two safeties.
During the 1986 season, when 16 games were played, Taylor recorded 105 tackles, 20.5 sacks, five pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.
Unlike recent MVPs, Page and Taylor received less than half of the eligible votes. Page earned 16 out of 60 votes, benefitting from 29 being split between wide receiver Otis Taylor and quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Bob Griese. Taylor earned 41 of the 84 votes, beating out running back Eric Dickerson, who rushed for 1,821 yards, and Dan Marino, who threw for 4,746 yards with 44 touchdowns.
In addition to Page winning MVP in 1971, he also won the newly introduced AP award, Defensive Player of the Year. This award has been dominated by Taylor, who won it in 1986, J.J. Watt, and Aaron Donald, each having won the award three times.
Recent Success... Almost
Myles Garrett is the reigning DPOTY winner, and in the 2023 season, he was problematic for offenses' pass and rush games. He recorded 14 sacks and 12 tackles for loss throughout the season.
Defensive players receiving votes from the AP in the MVP race have often won the DPOTY award. This, unfortunately, does not translate to success in MVP voting.
Last year's winner, Garett, finished 10th in MVP voting. In 2022, DPOTY winner Nick Bosa finished 6th, while Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons finished 8th. Ray Lewis won the award in 2000 and 2003 but only placed 5th and 6th in MVP voting.
Brian Urlacher finished 5th in MVP voting in 2001 but lost the DPOTY award to Michael Strahan, who was nowhere to be seen in the MVP voting.
2014 was the closest year where a third defensive player could have been named the league's best player. Watt unanimously won DPOTY while running back DeMarco Murray beat out Aaron Rodgers in Offensive Player of the Year with 52% of the vote. But, in the MVP voting, Rodgers earned 62% of the vote, while Watt finished second, having received 26%.
That year is a prime example of the unspoken impact that quarterbacks have. They are constantly considered the player who will win or lose their team the game and are the only ones who impact every offensive possession.
This means they will be the only players consistently considered for the award. The only threat other players may pose is if a running back or wide receiver can earn 2,000 or more yards. Only running backs have the power to compete with quarterbacks; Calvin Johnson's 1,964-yard season only got him 2% of the votes for OPOTY.
Page and Taylor, in the late '70s and '80s, revolutionized their positions, and it seems that the next defensive player to win the league MVP will have to be a dominant player that will forever change how their position will be played. Being great at the set standard will not be good enough. Players will need to rewrite the definition for their positions if they wish to lift the MVP award at the end of the season.
