In 1957, Cleveland Browns rookie running back Jim Brown was named NFL Most Valuable Player, just edging out San Francisco 49ers quarterback Y.A. Tittle.
It was the first and only time a rookie has been named MVP, which is why it’s so unusual to hear pundits like ESPN analyst and NFL veteran Domonique Foxworth stumping for Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to be the first rookie MVP in almost 70 years.
“I’ve been waiting for somebody to make an argument to change my mind,” Foxworth said on October 30. “You normally protect rookie quarterbacks. And rookie quarterbacks who have good seasons are quarterbacks that you don’t ask much from. They’re asking everything from him.”
Daniels has the Commanders off to a 6-2 start and first place in the NFC East Division. He’s also coming off one of the signature NFL regular season moments in recent memory with a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown as time expired to defeat the Chicago Bears in Week 8.
Through 8 games, Daniels has thrown for 1,736 yards, 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions to go with 424 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. The Commanders selected Daniels No. 2 in the 2024 NFL draft out of LSU and signed him to a 4-year, $37.7 million contract.
Foxworth played cornerback for 3 different NFL teams in 7 seasons after he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round (No. 97 overall) of the 2005 NFL draft.
Ravens’ Jackson Trying to Win Third NFL MVP
At the midway point of the 2024 regular season, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson were in a virtual dead heat for NFL MVP honors, with Allen having just a slight edge across the major betting services from VegasInsider.com.
Jackson is trying for his third MVP after winning in 2019 and 2023. Allen is trying to become the first MVP for the Bills since running back Thurman Thomas in 1991.
As of October 30, Daniels had the sixth-lowest odds out of the MVP favorites behind Allen, Jackson, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Greatest Rookie Seasons Don’t Equal NFL MVP
While Brown remains the only rookie to win MVP honors, that doesn’t mean there are other times where rookies should have won the award but didn’t. Two clear examples come to mind.
In 1978, Houston Oilers rookie running back Earl Campbell finished as MVP runner-up to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, losing by just 3 percent of the vote after rushing for 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns on 302 carries.
Bradshaw threw for 2,950 yards, 28 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Campbell was named MVP in 1979 and NFL Offensive Player of the Year 3 consecutive times from 1978 to 1980.
Perhaps the most egregious rookie MVP miss came in 1983, when Washington quarterback Joe Theismann beat out MVP runner-up and Los Angeles Rams rookie running back Eric Dickerson, who rushed for 1,808 yards and 18 touchdowns on 390 carries to go with 51 receptions for 404 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Theismann threw for 3,714 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while rushing for 234 yards on just 37 carries and won in a landslide, with 69 percent of the vote to 21.4 percent of the vote for Dickerson.
Dickerson finished as MVP runner-up 3 times in his first 4 seasons, losing to Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino in 1984 and New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986.
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ESPN Analyst, NFL Vet Touts Commanders $37 Million Rookie as NFL MVP