It is no secret that the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. Quarterbacks are the faces of the franchises and, realistically, the faces of the league. Sunday and Monday night games are often headlined by the two quarterbacks. Rodgers vs. Brady and Mahomes vs. Jackson — viewers come to watch these matchups. The last nine NFL MVPs and 14 out of the last 15 have been quarterbacks. This begs the question, should there be a separate award for the best quarterback in the NFL?
The NFL Cy Young Award
The MLB has a Cy Young Award in place to help differentiate between the best pitcher and the best position player. This has really helped to determine who is the best pitcher and best positional player in baseball. The pitcher position and the quarterback position are similar in that both positions have the most control over the game at any point. Every other position in both games is basing their first move off of the pitcher/quarterback’s first move.
The positives to having this award in the NFL would be that players like pass rushers, running backs and defensive backs would get the recognition that they deserve. If the NFL had Cy Young voting like the MLB does, it would also give us a more efficient way to determine who the best non-quarterback was in the past season. Players like Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson were some of the best players in NFL history. Something that is missing from their legacy though is an MVP award. Matt Ryan has won an MVP but Jerry Rice hasn’t.
The biggest argument for the NFL to adopt a Cy Young-type of award is that people are tired of watching quarterbacks win the MVP every season when there are other players in the NFL who can be considered the best. Is Patrick Mahomes the best player in football? Maybe. But players like Aaron Donald and Derrick Henry are pretty close. Sure, they have the Offensive Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year in place, but that once again doesn’t really prove who the best player in football is.
Players that Would Have Won the NFL MVP with this Award in Place
| Year | Real MVP | New MVP |
| 2021 | Aaron Rodgers | Jonathan Taylor |
| 2020 | Aaron Rodgers | Derrick Henry |
| 2019 | Lamar Jackson | Christian McCaffrey |
| 2018 | Patrick Mahomes | Aaron Donald |
| 2017 | Tom Brady | Todd Gurley |
| 2016 | Matt Ryan | Ezekiel Elliott |
| 2015 | Cam Newton | Antonio Brown |
| 2014 | Aaron Rodgers | J.J Watt |
| 2013 | Peyton Manning | Adrian Peterson |
| 2012 | Adrian Peterson | Adrian Peterson |
| 2011 | Aaron Rodgers | Calvin Johnson |
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