30 non-QBs who should be in MVP consideration for the 2024 season

The NFL MVP is not a fair award. Honestly, MVPs in all sports tend to favor one type of player over another. In baseball, the power hitters are going to win it almost always over a starting pitcher or a hitter for average. In basketball, great defensive players have their own award, but the MVP is going to be, more often than not, the best scorer. In hockey, a goalie almost never wins the Hart Trophy, despite arguably having the second biggest impact on winning in sports. No, the winner is almost always the Connor McDavid-type, who scores a ton of goals and sets up his teammates to score more. 

Yet, the NFL is still the most lopsided MVP award in sports. There are 22 positions on the football field. Only one ever wins the MVP. Nine players outside of the quarterback position have won the MVP since 1990. The award has only gone to quarterbacks for the past 12 years. The last non-QB to win MVP was Adrian Peterson, and most still argue that should have been Peyton Manning and say this was an award snub.

It’s time to give credence to the rest of the NFL. There are 32 starting quarterback jobs in the game, but there are thousands of positions across the league. We’re not advocating for kickers to win the award again (sorry Justin Tucker), but let’s bring some common sense to the voting process. One option is right there in front of you, despite the injury.

1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

Right now, Christian McCaffrey is dealing with a calf injury. We start with that because that can be a scary proposition for the San Francisco 49ers, who build much of their offense around CMC. McCaffrey was so, so close to getting into the conversation. He was third, falling behind Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott. He didn’t get any first-place votes, but he did get a ton of second and third-place votes.

McCaffrey easily won the Offensive Player of the Year award, taking home 39 of the 49 first-place votes. He was the San Francisco 49ers offense, and he’s the reason Brock Purdy spent most of the season in the MVP conversation himself. That’s how good he was. CMC had others on his team getting in the MVP convo.

McCaffrey finished last season with 1,459 yards rushing, more than 500 yards receiving, and 21 total touchdowns. He was a threat on every single play, and for that reason, he was getting hyped as one of the best in the league at any position.

This season, the 49ers are looking to repeat last year’s success, but just winning that last game. McCaffrey will have a little more heavy lifting to do. We already talked about the injury, but the Niners are also dealing with hold-ins from tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, with the latter likely getting traded. With so much focus on the 49ers offseason, CMC bringing some clarity to the offense will only help his chances.