AP NFL Most Valuable Player Award

AP NFL Most Valuable Player Award
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Overview

The AP NFL Most Valuable Player Award is an annual National Football League (NFL) honor recognizing the player deemed most valuable to his team, as selected by members of the Associated Press (AP). The award is widely regarded as one of the league’s major individual regular-season accolades, alongside honors such as the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.

Background

The Associated Press has long published year-end assessments of performance across major American sports. Within the NFL, AP voters select a single player to receive the team-impact-focused most valuable player recognition, commonly discussed alongside other season awards such as the Associated Press Player of the Year. The concept emphasizes contributions that voters believe best correlate with team success and overall on-field value during the regular season.

Selection process

AP’s NFL MVP voting is conducted by AP sports editors and writers. Voters submit ballots reflecting their view of the most valuable player that season, and the winner is determined based on points allocated for first-, second-, and third-place selections (the exact point allocation can vary by year). The award’s methodology parallels other voting-based honors, such as the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award and [AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award](/wiki/AP_NFL_Defensive_Player_of_the_Year_Award], which also depend on AP ballots.

Notable winners and impact

Winners of the AP NFL MVP award often align with leading candidates for broader recognition, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame and other career-spanning achievements. The award’s focus on “value” in a given season highlights players whose performance can shift expectations for a franchise—whether through quarterback play, defensive dominance, or exceptional two-way impact.

Because the NFL is structured around the American Football Conference and National Football Conference, AP MVP winners have represented both sides of the league and have frequently been central to playoff narratives that follow the regular season. In historical discussions, commentators often compare an AP MVP to the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and to quarterback awards like the Bengal Bengals—though the MVP honor itself remains distinct in scope and selection criteria.

Relationship to other NFL awards

The AP NFL MVP award is commonly discussed in relation to league awards that recognize individual excellence, including the NFL MVP consensus and postseason honors. While the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award combines performance with community impact, the AP MVP award remains focused on football value during the season. Analysts also compare the AP MVP to quarterback-focused milestones such as the NFL Passing Yards and NFL Completion Percentage, though statistical measures do not solely determine the outcome.

Criticism and debate

As with other MVP voting systems, the AP NFL MVP award can generate debate about positional value and team context. Critics sometimes argue that heavily ball-involved positions, particularly quarterback roles, receive disproportionate recognition compared with defensive players whose contributions may be less reflected in mainstream box scores. Supporters counter that team value and league-wide impact are inherently difficult to quantify, and that the AP process captures narrative and contextual assessments that purely statistical approaches may miss.