NFL history is full of multiple-time winners of the league’s most valuable player honor. Here are the players who have won it the most.
The NFL is a league built on great players, and some of the very best of all time are the ones who collected the league’s Most Valuable Player honors.
The true legends are the ones who've won the award multiple times. Any number of players can have tremendous seasons once — but do it over and over, and you’ll go down among the best of the best.
So who meets that criteria? Whether you’re a diehard fan looking to bone up on NFL MVP trivia or a newer fan looking to learn more about the NFL and its history, read on to find out all you need to know about those who have been crowned the NFL’s single-season kings.
Who Has the Most MVPs in NFL History?
Peyton Manning may not have the most Super Bowl victories, but when it comes to regular-season accolades, he is second to none. Manning’s five MVP honors are the most in league history, one more than Aaron Rodgers’ four.
Manning won the award as part of two franchises — the only player in NFL history to accomplish that. He won four with the Indianapolis Colts (2003, ‘04, ‘08, ‘09) and one with the Denver Broncos in 2013. His legacy in NFL lore is secure as one of the most prolific and productive passers ever.
Top 10 MVP Winners
10. Lamar Jackson (2 MVPs; 2019, 2023)
Jackson has been a dual-threat dynamo ever since entering the NFL with Baltimore in 2018, and at his peak, he’s rather unstoppable. In his 2019 MVP season, for instance, he became the second unanimous winner in the award’s history, and rightfully so. He racked up 3,217 passing yards, 36 passing TDs (against just six interceptions), 1,206 rushing yards and seven rushing TDs.
9. Steve Young (2 MVPs; 1992, 1994)
Young stepped out of Joe Montana’s shadow to prove himself just as worthy of the spotlight. He “only” won one Super Bowl as a starter, but he was electrifying in San Francisco, evidenced by his 1994 MVP-winning season in which he passed for 35 TDs and ran for seven more.
8. Kurt Warner (2 MVPs; 1999, 2001)
Warner’s rags to riches story is the stuff of legend, going from an undrafted, Arena League nobody to a Super Bowl winner, two-time MVP and the backbone of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf.”
7. Joe Montana (2 MVPs; 1989, 1990)
Joe Cool was one of the all-time greats, and while he won two regular-season MVPs, he also won three Super Bowl MVPs en route to four championships. The Hall-of-Famer’s career numbers pale in comparison to others in the modern era, but few QBs were as poised in clutch moments as this serial winner.
6. Johnny Unitas (3 MVPs; 1959, 1964, 1967)
At the time of his retirement, Unitas was the all-time NFL leader in pass attempts (5,186), pass completions (2,830), passing yards (40,239) and touchdown passes (290). He has since been lapped on those fronts, but the Baltimore Colts’ great will forever be an all-time legend and, like Warner, emerged from humble beginnings to take the league by storm.
5. Brett Favre (3 MVPs; 1995, 1996, 1997)
Favre is the only player to ever win three straight MVPs, enjoying a sensational run with Green Bay. That stretch also coincided with his one Super Bowl title (1996), and he’s fourth all-time in passing yards (71,838) and TDs (508).
4. Jim Brown (3 MVPs; 1957, 1958, 1965)
The late, bruising Cleveland running back won the first two MVPs in league history — the award as we know it was given out starting in 1957 — and added a third in 1965 to become the first three-time winner.
In his career, he rushed for 12,312 yards (11th-most ever) and 106 TDs (tied for sixth). He did so at a time when seasons were shorter. He led the NFL in rushing in eight of his nine seasons in the league.
3. Tom Brady (3 MVPs; 2007, 2010, 2017)
Brady was always more about Super Bowl triumphs than individual honors, and the three seasons he won MVP, his Patriots actually wound up losing in the Super Bowl. The seven times he won the championship (six with New England, one with Tampa Bay), he fell short of MVP.
That number, seven, will be what he’s ultimately remembered for, but regardless, his stats were nuts, too. The 89,214 passing yards and 649 TDs Brady amassed during his 20-year career are all-time records and seem completely unreachable.
2. Aaron Rodgers (4 MVPs; 2011, 2014, 2020, 2021)
Before Rodgers became a punchline in New York, he was one of the most feared gunslingers in the league in Green Bay. That he won his four MVPs over the course of a decade (with the last two coming consecutively) speaks to his longevity. And his numbers (62,952 yards, 503 TDs) mean his legacy is cemented.
1. Peyton Manning (5 MVPs; 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013)
Manning is the only five-time winner in the award’s history, and he could well go down as the only one ever based on how hard it is to win multiple times, voter fatigue and competition for the mantle. In his career, Manning threw for 71,940 yards and 539 touchdowns (both third-most all-time). He also holds the single-season records for passing yards (5,477) and TD passes (55) during his ridiculous 2013 season.
All NFL MVP Winners By Year
Here’s a comprehensive list of NFL MVP winners:
How NFL MVPs Impact Fantasy Football
If a player is MVP-caliber, then he’s putting up big stats, and when it comes to fantasy football and daily fantasy sports, that’s precisely what you’re seeking. There’s going to be plenty of value in drafting the likes of Lamar Jackson, although it’s not a given that a past MVP will live up to the billing in the future.
Patrick Mahomes, for instance, may have led his Chiefs to a 15-win regular season in 2024, but his stats weren’t commensurate with his draft position, which surely was inflated due to his prolific past.
So while fantasy managers can clearly benefit from past MVP winners and current contenders, there’s also a bit of a buyer-beware if that MVP label is going to drive up the draft-day price to a nonsensical place.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many 3-time NFL MVPs are there?
Entering the 2024 season, six players have won three MVPs: Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning.
How often do non-QBs win NFL MVP?
It was more prevalent in earlier eras, but the game is so tilted toward quarterbacks that at this point it seems inevitable that the award will go to the most prolific QB on a playoff contender. Ever since Vikings RB Adrian Peterson won it in 2012, it’s been a string of QBs. No wide receiver or tight end has ever won it, period.
Oddly, a kicker, Washington’s Mark Moseley, has won MVP (although he did so in a strike-shortened, nine-game season).
Can defensive players win NFL MVP?
They’re eligible to and it occasionally happens, but it takes a herculean effort during a season in which no QB distinguishes himself. Voters tend to shy away from defensive players for MVP since there is a separate Defensive Player of the Year award. Two defensive players — Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page (1971) and Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor (1986) — have won MVP.
Which players have won back-to-back MVPs?
Brown won the first two MVP awards. Since then, only QBs Joe Montana, Favre, Manning and Rodgers have won consecutive MVPs.
Favre is the only player to win the award three straight seasons, though he shared the honors in his third MVP of that stretch.
Have there ever been co-NFL MVPs?
Speaking of which … On two occasions players have shared the award. Most recent was 2003, when Manning and the late Steve McNair split the honors. Before that, Favre and Barry Sanders shared it in 1997.
Become a Fantasy MVP By Playing With Sleeper
Past NFL MVPs are some of the biggest stat-stuffers ever, and the active ones – or contenders for future honors – may make for some of the more useful plays in Sleeper’s season-long fantasy leagues or its DFS game, Sleeper Picks.
To see for yourself and get started, sign up on the website or download the app and begin enjoying a user-friendly, interactive platform with multitudes of customizable options and various ways to add to your football experience.
