Let's predict the most likely first-time MVP winners and talk about them right here. Winning MVP in the NFL is now pretty much reserved for the best quarterback, and whether we disagree with that or not, it doesn't seem to be changing.
Well, we did see a first-time MVP winner in the 2024 NFL Season, as Josh Allen took home the award, and another QB winning it again in 2025 is very likely. Let's try to predict the most likely players across the NFL who could actually win the award for the first time.
We found four of the most likely first-time winners and talked about them here.
Predicting most likely first-time MVP winners
4. CJ Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
If the Houston Texans' offensive line ends up being a strength, this entire team is going to takeoff, as that was the main thing they struggled with in the 2024 NFL Season. CJ Stroud and the Texans put the NFL on notice in what was an insane rookie season. They could build on that in 2025 and put together one of the best years in franchise history.
3. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
Now that Ben Johnson is out of the picture, Jared Goff may have a great chance to prove that he indeed is an elite QB. Goff was on fire in the 2024 NFL Season and could be in line for another great year. Despite some of the losses the Lions have suffered, Goff still has a strong offensive line and elite weapons around him to excel at a high level.
2. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
You could have made the argument that Jayden Daniels was one of the most valuable players in the NFL during his rookie season, so the logical thing here is for Daniels to make a huge leap in his second season. The one QB he is most similar to is Lamar Jackson, and in his second season, Jackson put together an all-time season and took home his first MVP award.
This could be Jayden Daniels in 2025.
1. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
If not for an abysmal defense in 2024, Joe Burrow may have taken the MVP award home, but that does go to show you just how flawed the voting could be. We'll see if the Bengals' defense is any good - if it is, Burrow and the Bengals could win more than 10 games, and he'd surely get some MVP love.
In 2024, he threw for 43 touchdown passes and simply had the best year of his NFL career.