Following the Houston Texans’ renaissance of a 2023 season, hopes and hype are high in Houston.
So too is the opportunity for more history.
As the team strives to take a step further and perhaps advance to the franchise’s first Super Bowl, quarterback C.J. Stroud will lead the way. A trendy preseason pick to win AP NFL Most Valuable Player, Stroud would make history if he was to collect that hardware.
No Offensive Rookie of the Year has won the MVP in his second season since a Houston legend did it in 1979. That was Hall of Famer Earl Campbell, and he was a Houston Oiler. Should Stroud win the MVP for the 2024 campaign, he would be the first Texans player to garner the accolade.
Entering the season, seven franchises still have not had a player win NFL MVP.
Here’s a breakdown thanks to NFL Research identifying each NFL club that’s yet to celebrate an MVP and who the top candidates just might be:
Murray’s fully healthy, settled into Drew Petzing’s offense and a groundswell of MVP talk has already begun. There aren't many in the league with the overall talent and skill set of the 2019 No. 1 overall pick. If he reclaims his Pro Bowl form and takes it a step further, realizing his all-world potential and leading the Cardinals to success, Murray could make some MVP noise. Not since Carson Palmer in 2015 has a Cardinals player finished in the MVP's top-five voting, so a Murray MVP campaign would certainly be something to behold. The Bills' Josh Allen and Murray are the only two players in NFL history to average 240-plus yards passing per game and 35-plus yards rushing, per NFL Research. If Murray, who's likely to be buoyed by the addition of receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., meshes his old form with his new offense, a history-making campaign could be in the cards.
Stroud strode into the NFL and took over, leading a Texans turnaround that saw a team that had combined for 11 wins over the previous three seasons go 10-7 to win the AFC South before knocking off the Browns in the opening round of the playoffs. The Pro Bowler led the NFL with 273.9 passing yards per game en route to becoming the first Texan to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. If his sophomore season is anymore sensational than his rookie year, Stroud could very well become the franchise's first MVP. Joe Namath, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton are the only quarterbacks to have ever won Rookie of the Year and an MVP in their careers, per NFL Research. There are far more believers in Stroud and Houston now than there were at this time last year, thus it's hardly a stretch to think the Texans' burgeoning star QB couldn't become the fourth in that group and the first to win MVP in the year after he was voted ROTY.
No Jaguars player -- before Lawrence or since he was taken No. 1 overall in 2021 -- has ever finished top five in MVP voting. Not a single one. With a Pro Bowl and a playoff berth to his credit, Lawrence is hardly a bust, but he still hasn't lived up to his lofty potential in the minds of most. On the heels of the Jags' 2023 collapse and signing a seismic new contract, Lawrence has plenty of pressure on his shoulders to deliver in 2024. Should Lawrence rebound and take his game to the level so many expected when he was coming out of Clemson, he should be a contender to make history and win Duval's first MVP.
Difficult as it is to fathom, future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, a Super Bowl winner and owner of a gold mine of statistical splendor, doesn’t have an MVP on his resume. But he does not, and neither does the Saints franchise. As with any club, the quarterback would seem to be the front-runner to work his way into the MVP conversation and Derek Carr is coming off a better statistical season than many give him credit for, but Kamara could simply be a phenomenal fit in Klint Kubiak's scheme. Provided he works out his contract impasse, Kamara could find a career rebirth in his eighth season with Kubiak steering him. Having once decked the halls to the tune of six touchdowns in a Christmas win, Kamara has the ability to make history in the right situation.
In his illustrious career, Rodgers has four AP NFL MVPs on his first-ballot Hall of Fame resume, which is second all time. Rodgers won back-to-back MVPs in 2020-2021 during his days as the leader of the Pack. Traded to the Jets ahead of last season, aspirations were at a high in Gotham until Rodgers' season and New York's grand hopes were cut down by a torn Achilles after a quartet of snaps. Rodgers is back and so too is the promise. If Rodgers leads the Jets to postseason bliss, a fifth MVP for the QB and a first for the franchise could be a reality.
Before the wheels fell off for the Eagles as a whole in 2023, it was wide receiver A.J. Brown who was mentioned in the MVP conversation, having stacked six straight 125-plus-yard games. However, if there's an NFL MVP on the Philadelphia roster, it's most likely to be Hurts, who was the 2022 MVP runner-up to Patrick Mahomes. Motivated to rebound from last year's freefall, Hurts will have a chance to start anew in Kellen Moore's offense. In a down (air quotes) year last season, Hurts still had 38 total touchdowns (23 passing, 15 rushing). He's a TD machine who could still be ascending.
Could Baker cook up a historic MVP run six years after he lost out on Offensive Rookie of the Year honors to Saquon Barkley? As Tom Brady's successor, Mayfield becoming the first Buccaneer to haul in the ultimate individual hardware would certainly be a statement. Many thought Brady should’ve won his fourth career MVP in 2021. Instead, Rodgers got MVP No. 4 and Tampa's franchise-long MVP drought carried on. Many counted out Mayfield and the Bucs a season ago, but the 2018 No. 1 overall pick turned in the best season of his career to propel Tampa to its third straight NFC South title and an unlikely run to the Divisional Round. Mayfield posted career highs in passing yards (4,044), touchdowns (28) and completion percentage (64.3) while garnering his first Pro Bowl nod. If Mayfield clicks with new Bucs OC Liam Coen, another sensational season could be on the horizon and perhaps a Mayfield MVP candidacy will follow.