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NFL: Ranking every MVP winner in league history based on pro career

By Hans Themistode

NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 11: Running back Adrian Peterson #28 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball during a NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 11: Running back Adrian Peterson #28 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball during a NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images) /
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LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM) /

Ranking every MVP winner in NFL history: 16. LaDainian Tomlinson

Stats:

  • 13,684 rushing yards
  • 145 touchdowns

It isn’t every day that a running back takes home the league MVP award. In total, only 16 of them have done so.

There’s a reason why so few have been able to do it. Despite some seriously gaudy numbers, backs simply aren’t viewed in the same light as other positions. Their contributions are valuable but their production, more times than not, can be replicated.

While it’s difficult making the case for any back as the best player in the league on any given year, for LaDainian Tomlinson, it was easy. The moment he stepped foot onto an NFL turf, he was immediately a thousand-yard rusher and a double-digit touchdown scorer. In 2006, Tomlinson rushed for a career-high and league-best 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns.

It’s been well over a decade since he’s touched a football but plenty of his records are holding strong. Tomlinson still ranks seventh in rushing yards with 13,684 and second in rushing touchdowns with 145.

We won’t see another back as good as Tomlinson for a very long time.

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