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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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Steve Young
Steve Young (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

Ranking every MVP winner in NFL history: 12. Steve Young

Stats: 

  • 33,124 passing yards
  • 232 touchdowns
  • 107 interceptions

There were few, if any, who got off to a worse start to a Hall of Fame career than quarterback Steve Young. Tampa Bay, the team that originally snagged him with the 22nd overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft, got rid of him after only two years.

With Young winning just three games during that stretch, while losing 16, the Buccaneers simply thought he didn’t have it. The San Francisco 49ers took a chance on him and allowed him to sit behind Joe Montana. As Young sat back and watched his mentor win two Super Bowls with him holding the clipboard, no one, not even Young believed he could live up to that hype.

And while we aren’t saying he was as great as Montana, Young wasn’t that far off. He led the league in passing yards in four seasons, pocketed two MVP awards, and led the 49ers to a Super Bowl win in 1994.

Historically, Young isn’t ranked above Montana, at least according to most. But considering how his career started, he deserves a seat at the all-time table.

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