February 5th, 2025
American football is the ultimate team game where dozens of players contribute to each win. That doesn’t diminish the value of individual greatness, which is why the best professional league in the world hands out the MVP award to the most outstanding player. Every year, there is a discussion about the most deserving candidates and this season is no exception – while there is a clear group of frontrunners to win 2025 NFL MVP, the decision is anything but easy and predicting the winner is still a bit tricky.
Let’s take a closer look at the four players that are still considered to have a realistic chance to win the award.
1. Josh Allen (QB, Buffalo Bills)
Allen is widely expected to pick up his first MVP award after a truly dominant season for the resurgent Bills team. With an impressive 13-4 record in the regular season, Allen helmed one of the most fearsome offenses in the league and contributed both in the passing and the running game. His statistics are very solid but not incredible, as Allen had 26 touchdown passes versus just 6 interceptions, and gained a total of 3549 passing yards with a passer rating of 101.4. He added another 500 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, proving his value as a dual threat, leader on the field, and the main decision maker in Buffalo’s offensive unit. MVP voters like to reward winning quarterbacks and there seems to be a consensus that Allen did just enough this year to deserve the highest accolade.
2. Lamar Jackson (QB, Baltimore Ravens)
Another dual threat quarterback is seen as the biggest rival to Allen, and with good reason too. Two-time MVP winner Lamar Jackson had a very fine season for a Baltimore team that is built around his uncompromising play. He piloted the Ravens through a season that started poorly and quickly righted the ship to sail to another first-place finish in AFC North. The statistical case for Jackson is quite strong, as he threw for 4,172 yards and had a passer rating of 119.6, while also rushing for more than 900 yards. His 41 passing touchdowns were second in the NFL this season, and he also scored 4 rushing touchdowns. Jackson was very responsible with the ball and allowed only 4 interceptions in 17 games, although he was sacked 23 times. In the eyes of some MVP voters, this kind of production is impossible to ignore when deciding about the 2025 winner.
3. Saquon Barkley (RB, Philadelphia Eagles)
Long-time NFL fans are aware that no running back has won the MVP award since Adrian Peterson famously did it in 2012, but this year there is a completely legitimate candidate to reverse this trend. Saquon Barkley joined the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason and wasted no time rewriting the history books. He became just the ninth player ever to rush for at least 2000 yards in a season, and he did it in 16 games. Barkley had the best rushing average of his career with 5.8 yards and scored 13 rushing touchdowns, with just 6 fumbles. He also demonstrated some versatility with 278 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns, although this is a decrease compared to his previous seasons with the New York Giants. His season was definitely one for the ages, but it’s not clear if that will suffice to crown him as the Most Valuable Player.
4. Joe Burrow (QB, Cincinnati Bengals)
While Burrow had a very successful season by all parameters, his MVP chances seem to be slipping according to most sportsbooks like WoomBet that offer NFL MVP betting. Despite leading the league in total passing yards with 4,918 and passing touchdowns with 43 with a decent passer rating of 108.5 and only 9 interceptions, Burrow finds himself as an underdog in the race largely due to poor team results. The Bengals finished the season with a disappointing 9-8 record, good only for 3rd place in their division and not good enough for a wildcard slot in the playoffs. It’s rare for a player from a middling team to claim the MVP award, so despite his statistical dominance this season Burrow might have to wait for another opportunity to add the centerpiece to his growing trophy case.