Who is the non-quarterback MVP of each NFL team heading into the 2020 season?
NFL quarterbacks have a performance accreditation system rooted in duality. The signal-caller for each team more often than not gets a large majority of the glory when his team achieves success while shouldering the criticism when the team struggles.
It’s quite odd because football is a 53-man affair each Sunday, yet a considerable following of fans and pundits alike point the finger at the quarterback when credit or blame is in order.
This is why the Joe F. Carr Trophy is habitually handed to quarterbacks. They touch the ball almost half the time, so they must be the most important man of 53 on the field, right? A non-quarterback has not won the MVP award in eight years.
It last happened in 2012, and Minnesota Vikings halfback played like a wild man for much of the season. He single-handedly carried his team to a playoff game — despite the rest of the team’s meager play. Before that, the last non-quarterback to win the award was LaDanian Tomlinson for the San Diego Chargers in 2006.
All in all, the NFL MVP honor has emphatically been a quarterback one in recent years.
As an alternative, this analysis will assess the most impactful players on each team that do not play quarterback. Some of the selections will raise eyebrows. But in those situations, pretend that particular player is no longer on the team — at all. That will provide proper context as to the rationale for the choice.