Arduous as it is to fathom, the Philadelphia Eagles -- the reigning Super Bowl champions -- have never claimed an AP NFL MVP in the Super Bowl era.
Only one player -- quarterback Norm Van Brocklin in 1960 -- has been voted league MVP in the Eagles' history, which dates back to 1933.
Heading into the 2025 season and toward a bid at back-to-back Super Bowl victories, the Eagles could well have two bona fide MVP candidates in quarterback Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley.
Barkley and Hurts represent a Philadelphia club that's one of seven in the NFL to have never had a player win MVP in the Super Bowl era.
They're joined by the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Should MVP history be made in 2025 for one of these seven teams, here's a look at who the likely front-runners are to win the annual honor.
It’s the third season for Murray in Drew Petzing’s offense and the third year for the Cardinals under the Jonathan Gannon-Monti Ossenfort umbrella. Murray’s sensational skillset has led him to two Pro Bowls in six seasons and some impressive statistics (four seasons with 3,700-plus passing yards and 400-plus rushing yards). However, he has piloted the Cards to just one playoff appearance. In a pivotal year for the Cardinals regime, Murray will need to lead the way. Should he reach -- and maintain -- his prime form while keying an Arizona ascent, an MVP conversation is to be had.
The 2023 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (the first Texans player to garner the accolade) had a rocky sophomore season, but still quarterbacked the Texans to a second straight AFC South title. He will no doubt welcome the addition of offensive coordinator Nick Caley in one of the more pivotal coordinating changes in the league. Regardless of statistics, Stroud has swiftly proven himself to be a winner. Should a switch in scheme pay off, this Texan could get back to ascending into one of the NFL’s elite gunslingers and make a little (more) team history in the process.
Lawrence is the only player in franchise history to have ever received an MVP vote, finishing seventh in the 2022 poll. That same year he was voted to his only Pro Bowl in four seasons. Now he’s onto his third full-time head coach and third offensive coordinator. The numbers haven’t stacked up as many prognosticated they would for the 2021 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick. If Lawrence is finally able to fulfill his potential with Liam Coen leading him, it’s not all that arduous to think the Jaguars would have some serious celebrating to do.
Pickings for MVP candidates are small it would seem in the Big Easy. Tyler Shough still has a quarterback battle to win before he can strive to become the first-ever rookie QB to garner MVP honors. So, if history is to be made for the Saints -- and the NFL -- why not Olave becoming the first wideout to take home the award? It’s a longshot, of course, but Olave is a true contender for Comeback Player of the Year should he emerge from concussion issues to reclaim the form that saw him tally back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in his first two seasons.
Not even Hall of Famer Joe Willie Namath earned an MVP. Perhaps Justin Skyler Fields could be the first Jet to do so. Fields is set to start for his third NFL club since the Bears took him at 11th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. In Chicago, he showcased rushing ability from the QB spot more dynamic than any signal-caller in the league not named Lamar Jackson. If Fields can rediscover that rushing vigor, find peak passing bliss in Tanner Engstrand’s offense and most imperatively guide New York to a playoff berth after 14 long years without one, well, maybe an MVP isn’t out of the question.
Saquon Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. He leapfrogged an opponent backward (!!!) and landed on the Madden ’26 cover. The former Giant had a season for the ages and finished third in last year’s MVP voting. No running back has won MVP since Adrian Peterson in 2012, and it would be next door to preposterous to think Barkley will duplicate his 2024 showing (no RB has ever run 2,000 yards in a season twice). Hence, if the Eagles are to have a player soar to the club’s first Super Bowl-era MVP, conventional wisdom says it will be Hurts. In the eyes of many, Hurts had a “down” year before he piloted Philly to a Super Bowl triumph. He was an MVP runner-up in 2022 and was the Super Bowl LIX MVP. Once you’ve made that storied trip to Disney World, grabbing some MVP hardware is assuredly in reach.
Mayfield has found the fountain of career renaissance in Tampa. After producing his first two career Pro Bowl campaigns in each of his two seasons with the Bucs, Mayfield is playing his best ball and could be a bona fide contender to pull off something the G.O.A.T. was unable to do: win an MVP with the Bucs. Many thought Tom Brady should’ve won his fourth career MVP in 2021, but it was Aaron Rodgers who hauled in MVP hardware No. 4. A major question will be if Mayfield can maintain his stellar play with offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard -- his third OC in three autumns. Mayfield produced career highs of 4,500 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns in 2024 under Liam Coen, who's now the Jaguars' head coach. If he continues his glory days in Tampa, Mayfield for MVP might well be a very real campaign in 2025.
