NFL MVP winners: Full list of players with the most MVPs, repeat winners

Madison Williams

NFL MVP winners: Full list of players with the most MVPs, repeat winners image

The 2021 NFL MVP will be announced on Saturday, Feb. 12, one day before Super Bowl 56.

Since 1957, the MVP award has been handed out to the player who performed well during the regular season. The NFL MVP is different than the Super Bowl MVP, since the NFL award is given out based solely on the player's regular season performance. 49 different players have won the award.

More often than not, a quarterback takes home the MVP title. And, in 2021, it looks like that will probably be the case again as Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady lead the odds. Both players have won MVP before. Out of the 65 winners in history, 44 have been quarterbacks. A non-quarterback hasn't won the title since 2012 when running back Adrian Peterson won.

MORE: NFL MVP odds 2021

Here's where the active players rank in terms of how many MVP titles they've won, along with which players have won back-to-back MVP titles.

Who has won the most NFL MVPs in history?

Former Colts and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has won the most NFL MVPs in history with five wins. Those wins came in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2013. 

Following Manning, there are five players who are tied for second with three wins each. The two active players who are tied for second are Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Both of these quarterbacks have high chances of winning the 2021 NFL MVP as well, which would put them solely in second place.

Here's a list of the most NFL MVPs, including all the players who have won more than one MVP title.

Player Wins Years
Peyton Manning 5 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013
Aaron Rodgers 3 2011, 2014, 2020
Tom Brady 3 2007, 2010, 2017
Brett Favre 3 1995, 1996, 1997
Jim Brown 3 1957, 1958, 1965
Johnny Unitas 3 1959, 1964, 1967
Kurt Warner 2 1999, 2001
Steve Young 2 1992, 1994
Joe Montana 2 1989, 1990

MORE: History of RBs to win NFL MVP

Which NFL players have won back-to-back MVPs?

In NFL history, there has only been five back-to-back winners for the NFL MVP title. Former Packers quarterback Brett Favre is the only player to win the MVP title three times in a row.

Here's which players have won the title in back-to-back years.

Player Years
Jim Brown 1957, 1958
Joe Montana 1989, 1990
Brett Favre 1995, 1996, 1997
Peyton Manning 2003, 2004 & 2008, 2009

Who votes for the NFL MVP?

Each year, the Associated Press chooses 50 voters. Typically, these voters work in NFL media or pay close attention to football.

The chosen 50 people cast their votes following Week 18 in mid-January. They rank the players in a point system, and whichever player earns the most points wins the NFL MVP that year.

Only two players in history have ever won unanimously: Tom Brady in 2010 and Lamar Jackson in 2019.

Who won NFL MVP in 2020?

Aaron Rodgers took home the 2020 NFL MVP title for the third time in his career. He won in 2011 and 2014 previously. 

Rodgers leads the 2021 NFL MVP odds at +150, and if he wins the title for the second year in a row, he would be the fifth player in history to do this. It would also be the sixth time that a back-to-back win has taken place.

NFL Honors 2021: Full list of every award winner as Aaron Rodgers earns third MVP

Who has won NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same year?

The regular season NFL MVP has not won a Super Bowl title since 1999 when Kurt Warner did both. Nine players in history have won the regular season MVP andn then won the Super Bowl title, while 10 times the NFL MVP has lost in the Super Bowl. 

Only six players have won the NFL MVP and the Super Bowl MVP in the same season, the last time being Kurt Warner in 1999 as well.

Here's a round-up of which players who won the NFL MVP have appeared in the Super Bowl the same season.

Player Year (Regular Season) Super Bowl Result Super Bowl MVP?
Bart Starr 1966 Win Yes
Terry Bradshaw 1978 Win Yes
Mark Moseley 1982 Win No
Lawrence Taylor 1986 Win No
Joe Montana 1989 Win Yes
Emmitt Smith 1993 Win Yes
Steve Young 1994 Win Yes
Brett Favre 1996 Win No
Brett Favre 1997 Loss No
Kurt Warner 1999 Win Yes
Kurt Warner 2001 Loss No
Rich Gannon 2002 Loss No
Shaun Alexander 2005 Loss No
Tom Brady 2007 Loss No
Peyton Manning 2009 Loss No
Peyton Manning 2013 Loss No
Cam Newton 2015 Loss No
Matt Ryan 2016 Loss No
Tom Brady 2017 Loss No

Madison Williams