The NFL MVP voting process is broken. But luckily there is an easy way to fix it. Currently, the NFL MVP is decided each season by a group of fifty voters, who are chosen by the Associate Press (AP). The problem with this process is that all of the writers are people in the media. Yes, some are former players or coaches, but many of the voters are simply sports media people who have never played or coached in the NFL.
How to Fix the NFL MVP Voting Process
Last 10 MVP Winners
As fellow LWOS writer Derek Brown pointed out in this article, which makes a compelling case for Tom Brady as this season’s MVP, the last 10 MVP awards have gone to a quarterback (eight times) or running back (two times). No players on the defensive side of the ball, no tight ends, not even any wide receivers have won the award in the last 10 seasons.
That issue goes back much further than just the last 10 seasons. Yes, the position of quarterback is probably the most important in football, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a quarterback should be named, almost always, the most valuable player in a season. In addition, this award usually goes to the person who is under center on one of the best teams in the league (like the Heisman Trophy in college football). A team having a really good record and making the playoffs and the position of quarterback being the most important does not automatically mean the league MVP has to be a signal caller.
The Solution
It doesn’t make sense to have media people, most of whom have never played or coached football at any level, let alone in the NFL, voting on something that they themselves were not actually a part of. What should happen is a compilation of 50-75 current players, coaches and general managers should be assembled. Each of them would cast five votes for five players for MVP each season. And just like in other selection processes, each first place vote will be more heavily weighted than the rest and so on down through the five votes cast on each ballot.
But, to help somewhat alleviate the agendas of various voters, they would not be allowed to cast votes for any player on the team which they represent. In addition, the ballot of every voter would be made public every year and the composition of writers would change every three years.
There would probably be some kinks to work out, like certain voters, particularly players, refusing to cast a vote for certain players. It’s difficult to imagine someone affiliated with the Baltimore Ravens voting for someone on the Pittsburgh Steelers or Cincinnati Bengals, or a player, coach or the general manager for the New York Jets voting for anyone on the Patriots, particularly Brady.
Everyone has at least a slightly different idea of what the word “valuable” means to them and there will never be a perfect system to select an MVP, but this solution is at least a good head start in the right direction.
For what it’s worth, according to this writer, the top six NFL MVP vote getters should finish as follows:
- Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons
- Derek Carr, Quarterback, Oakland Raiders
- Tom Brady, Quarterback, New England Patriots
- Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback, Green Bay Packers
- David Johnson, Running back, Arizona Cardinals
- Ezekiel Elliot, Running Back, Dallas Cowboys
