NFL MVP odds change as the season plays out based on performance, injuries, team success, and more. Quarterbacks traditionally dominate the list of MVP contenders, and they do tend to win a lot. But a properly timed bet on a player at another position could pay off.
Here’s how to bet on the NFL MVP at legal online sportsbooks, including the latest MVP odds and some recent NFL MVP voting history.
2024 NFL MVP odds
Here are the latest odds on the favorites to win NFL MVP from Maryland’s top sportsbooks. Click on any odds to go right to the sportsbook, claim your new-player sports betting bonus, and lock in your MVP bets.
NFL MVP betting lines
Betting on the NFL MVP race is a futures bet, and, as such, operates the same way most futures do. You select a player you believe will win the MVP at the end of the year and put some money down at the currently posted odds.
NFL MVP betting odds will first appear throughout the offseason and will be available all season long. These odds change as the true MVP contenders emerge throughout the season. Things like injuries and player performance impact the odds greatly. But no matter how much the odds fluctuate, you lock in the current odds when you place your bet.
Ultimately, you’ll get paid at those gambling odds if the player you bet on wins the award. The sportsbook will return all bets in the event of a canceled season or no MVP for one reason or another. However, season-ending injuries and poor performances from MVP candidates are just a part of the game.
NFL MVP betting trends
A look at the list of NFL MVP winners shows certain trends you may be able to use to refine your bets. Start with the fact that since 1961, only two defensive players have won:
- Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page (1971)
- New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor (1986)
Offensive players have won the MVP every other year except for 1982, when Washington kicker Mark Moseley, a special teams player, won.
No receiver, tight end, or offensive lineman has ever won MVP.
On the offensive side of the ball, 42 QBs and 16 running backs have won the award since 1961. Clearly, QBs are the perennial favorite and worth a long look when you’re making an MVP bet. In fact, QBs are currently on an eight-year winning streak, dating back to 2012 when Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was the last non-QB to win.
Cleveland Browns great Jim Brown is the only running back to ever win multiple MVP awards, but multiple QBs have won more than once, including the following greats from the past 25 years:
- Brett Favre (1995, 1996, 1997)
- Kurt Warner (1999, 2001)
- Peyton Manning (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013)
- Tom Brady (2007, 2010, 2017)
- Aaron Rodgers (2011, 2014, 2020)
Considering how many quarterbacks have won the award in the past, it is no surprise that online sportsbooks, like DraftKings Maryland and FanDuel Maryland, have Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP, as the heavy favorite to win another award ahead of the 2021 NFL season.
What are the odds of a repeat MVP winner?
Joe Montana (1989, 1990), Favre (1995, 1996, 1997), and Manning (2003, 2004; 2008, 2009) are the only players to win back-to-back MVPs since the 1950s. Multiple players have won multiple MVPs, but only these three have done it in successive seasons.
How does NFL MVP voting work?
The Associated Press nominates a panel of 50 sportswriters and broadcasters from across the country. Each nominee casts a ballot at the end of the regular season, and the player with the most votes wins.
Panel members are chosen based on expertise and experience. Retired NFL greats Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth, Tony Dungy, and Herm Edwards are currently on the voting panel.
Recent NFL MVP winners
Here are the past 15 NFL MVP winners:
Year | Player | Position | Team |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | Aaron Rodgers | QB | Green Bay Packers |
2020 | Aaron Rodgers | QB | Green Bay Packers |
2019 | Lamar Jackson | QB | Baltimore Ravens |
2018 | Patrick Mahomes | QB | Kansas City Chiefs |
2017 | Tom Brady | QB | New England Patriots |
2016 | Matt Ryan | QB | Atlanta Flacons |
2015 | Cam Newton | QB | Carolina Panthers |
2014 | Aaron Rodgers | QB | Green Bay Packers |
2013 | Peyton Manning | QB | Denver Broncos |
2012 | Adrian Peterson | RB | Minnesota Vikings |
2011 | Aaron Rodgers | QB | Green Bay Packers |
2010 | Tom Brady | QB | New England Patriots |
2009 | Peyton Manning | QB | Indianapolis Colts |
2008 | Peyton Manning | QB | Indianapolis Colts |
2007 | Tom Brady | QB | New England Patriots |
2006 | LaDainian Tomlinson | RB | San Diego Chargers |
NFL MVPs from Maryland
No Maryland-born player has ever won the NFL MVP award. However, Doug Flutie of Manchester, Maryland, did win the Heisman Trophy in college, the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Player six times in the 1990s, and NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1998.
Although Boomer Esiason is from East Islip, New York, he attended the University of Maryland, College Park. He was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft and led the Bengals to an appearance in Super Bowl XXIII. He was named NFL MVP that year (1988). Esiason is now an NFL broadcaster and sports talk radio host.
Johnny Unitas won three NFL MVP awards as a member of the Baltimore Colts. In 1976, Baltimore Colts QB Bert Jones won. Then, in 2019, Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson took home the award. Three members of the Washington Redskins, now the Washington Football Team, have also won the award:
- 1972: RB Larry Brown
- 1982: PK Mark Moseley
- 1983: QB Joe Theismann
Other NFL futures odds
The NFL MVP is just one of many NFL futures available in Maryland. Here are some other NFL futures odds you may find at top state sportsbooks, including PointsBet Sportsbook, Caesars Maryland and BetMGM Sportsbook Maryland:
- Super Bowl winner odds
- AFC/NFC champions
- Division winners
- Regular season team win totals
- AP Offensive Player of the Year
- AP Defensive Player of the Year
- AP Comeback Player of the Year
- AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
- AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
- Coach of the Year