Has a Rookie Ever Won the NFL MVP?

It’s a long shot, but with the right circumstances, a rookie could win the NFL MVP award. Here’s a look at some of the top contenders for the 2019 season.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady has been considered one of the best quarterbacks of all time. He has led his team, the New England Patriots, to nine Super Bowl appearances, winning six of them. He has also been awarded the NFL MVP award four times. In fact, Brady is the only player to have ever won the Super Bowl MVP and the NFL MVP in the same season.

Won in 2001

The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award (NFL MVP) is an award given by various media outlets to the most valuable player in the National Football League (NFL). The winner is usually selected by a consensus of sportswriters, although the award has been determined by popular vote of fans, NFL head coaches, or a combination of the two Tom Brady, Quarterback for the New England Patriots, won the award in 2001. He was the first rookie ever to be named NFL MVP.

New England Patriots

Tom Brady is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He is one of only two players to win five Super Bowls, and he did it in dramatic fashion, leading his team to victory from behind in the final seconds of two of those games.

Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He began his career as a backup to Drew Bledsoe, but took over as the starter in 2001 when Bledsoe was injured. Brady led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title that year, and has since led them to five more appearances, winning four. Brady has been selected to 14 Pro Bowls, and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of both Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl XLIX.

Cam Newton

In 2015, Newton became the first rookie in NFL history to be awarded the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, after leading the league in touchdown passes and rushing touchdowns. He was also named the NFL Rookie of the Year.

Won in 2011

In 2011, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton set the NFL record for most passing yards by a rookie (4,051) and became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. He also set the Panthers’ single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (14) and total touchdowns (35). In recognition of his remarkable rookie campaign, Newton was named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He became just the third rookie quarterback to start in a Pro Bowl, joining Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger (2004) and Los Angeles Rams’ Vince Ferragamo (1979).

Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton became the first rookie quarterback to be named NFL MVP after a stellar 2011 season in which he led the Carolina Panthers to a 15-1 record and a trip to the playoffs. The No. 1 overall draft pick out of Auburn, Newton set an NFL record for most passing yards by a rookie (4,051) and also rushed for 14 touchdowns. He became just the third player in league history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 10 touchdowns in a season.

Peyton Manning

In 1998, the NFL welcomed one of the most prolific quarterbacks to ever play the game. Peyton Manning, the first overall pick in that year’s draft, went on to have one of the most decorated careers in NFL history. In his rookie season, Manning threw for an NFL-record 37 touchdowns en route to being named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.

Won in 1998

Peyton Manning, a rookie quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, became the first and only player in NFL history to win the Associated Press’ NFL Rookie of the Year award and the NFL Most Valuable Player award in the same season.

Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning was the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football at the University of Tennessee, where he was a two-time All-American and won the Heisman Trophy in his senior season. Manning was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998. He helped turn around the franchise, which had posted a 3–13 record in 1997, leading them to a 13–3 record in his rookie year and ultimately to an appearance in Super Bowl XLI.