1. Aaron Rodgers
   Tom Brady
2. Drew Brees
   Peyton Manning

When Tom Brady won his third NFL MVP, he was the oldest player to ever receive the award, earning the MVP at 40 years old. Brady played all 16 games that season and proved that age is just a number by leading the league in passing yards and passing attempts.

1. Ben Roethlisberger
   Eli Manning
2. Matt Ryan
   Philip Rivers

During his MVP season in 2016, Matt Ryan set the NFL record for passing yards per attempt. He completed 373 passes during the regular season, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt. He was largely benefited from having Julio Jones, one of the best deep threats in the NFL, on his team.

1. Dan Marino
   Steve Young
2. Tony Romo
   Kurt Warner

For a player who went undrafted in 1994, Kurt Warner proved that determination was the key to success. He didn't actually get a chance to show his skills until 1998 when he was signed by the St. Louis Rams, quickly becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the league by winning two MVPs over the next four years.

1. John Elway
   Johnny Unitas
2. Joe Montana
   Troy Aikman

Often referred to as "Joe Cool" and "The Comeback Kid," Joe Montana played at his best when the pressure was at its highest. One of his most memorable moments was in Super Bowl XXIII when he led a 92-yard drive at the end of the game to help the San Francisco 49ers overcome the Cincinnati Bengals.

1. Thurman Thomas
   Gale Sayers
2. O.J. Simpson
   Emmitt Smith

Emmitt Smith has never been viewed as the most talented running back in NFL history, but that didn't stop him from finishing his career as the all-time rushing yards leader. Much of his success was due to the dominant offensive line that the Dallas Cowboys had throughout the '90s.

1. Fred Taylor
   Barry Sanders
2. Jamal Lewis
   Steven Jackson

During his MVP season, Barry Sanders rushed for over 2,000 yards and recorded his personal best 6.1 yards per attempt. Sanders followed up his MVP season with almost 1,500 yards the next year but then decided to retire because the Detroit Lions couldn't put a championship team around him.

1. Joe Montana
   Steve Young
2. Terry Bradshaw
   Jim Kelly

Steve Young won his first NFL MVP in 1992 when he was still officially the backup quarterback to Joe Montana. At the time, Montana was dealing with an injury that forced him to miss the season. By the time 1993 came around, though, Young became the full-time starter.

1. Cam Newton
   Russell Wilson
2. Colin Kaepernick
   Deshaun Watson

Cam Newton was able to put up points both through the air and on the ground during his MVP season. While he threw 35 touchdown passes, he also carried the ball into the end zone 10 times on the ground.

1. Lawrence Taylor
   Ray Lewis
2. Derrick Brooks
   Harry Carson

Lawrence Taylor changed the way linebackers were used in the NFL, as he was as much of a pass-rushing threat as he was a run stopper. Taylor was so good at getting after the quarterback that he finished his career with 132.5 sacks, including 20.5 during his MVP season.

1. Dan Marino
   Ken Anderson
2. Terry Bradshaw
   Ken Stabler

Though they've since been broken, Dan Marino set multiple passing records on his way to being named the NFL MVP. One of those records was passing yards in a season, where Marino became the first quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season.

1. Barry Sanders
   Marshall Faulk
2. Emmitt Smith
   Adrian Peterson

In the final game of the season in 2012, Adrian Peterson came nine yards short of breaking the single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards. Had the Minnesota Vikings not needed a field goal to win the game and reach the playoffs, they would have given Peterson the ball to let him break the record.

1. Terry Bradshaw
   Dan Marino
2. John Elway
   Troy Aikman

John Elway was coming off a Super Bowl appearance where he led a comeback during the AFC Championship Game known as "The Drive" when he won his only MVP award in 1987. "The Drive" can be credited with helping Elway win the MVP, considering he won it on what might be considered a down year for the quarterback.

1. Aaron Rodgers
   Drew Brees
2. Joe Flacco
   Matthew Stafford

Aaron Rodgers has been a controversial figure in Green Bay, as former teammates have both criticized and praised the veteran quarterback. No matter which side someone takes, there's no doubt that Rodgers is one of the most gifted players to ever step on a football field, evident by his two MVP awards.

1. Dak Prescott
   Colin Kaepernick
2. Russell Wilson
   Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes threw for over 5,000 yards during his MVP season, becoming one of only seven players to ever reach this mark. He added 50 passing touchdowns to that, which put him in a class with only Peyton Manning.

1. Joe Montana
   Troy Aikman
2. Bart Starr
   Brett Favre

Brett Favre was able to win the only Super Bowl of his career in 1996, which was the same season that he won his second straight MVP award. To win the Super Bowl, Favre had to defeat the New England Patriots, where he threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns.

1. Rich Gannon
   Kurt Warner
2. Matt Schaub
   Carson Palmer

When Rich Gannon won the MVP in 2002, he led the league in both passing attempts and passes completed, finishing the regular season with a 97.3 passer rating. He only finished the season with 26 passing touchdowns, but it was enough to get the top spot in the AFC for the Raiders, giving the team home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

1. Dan Marino
   Peyton Manning
2. Brett Favre
   Eli Manning

Peyton Manning is the only quarterback in the history of the NFL to win Super Bowls with two different teams. However, neither of his Super Bowls were won during any of his five MVP seasons.

1. Jim Kelly
   Warren Moon
2. Carson Palmer
   Boomer Esiason

Boomer Esiason only completed 57.5 percent of his passes during his MVP season, but he did average 9.2 yards per pass attempt. He finished the season with a 97.4 passer rating, the highest of his career.

1. Tony Dorsett
   Marcus Allen
2. Gale Sayers
   Curtis Martin

Marcus Allen led the league in rushing during his MVP season in 1985, but it was really his ability to catch passes that separated him from his contemporaries. That season, Allen caught 67 passes for 555 yards and added three receiving touchdowns to his 11 rushing touchdowns.

1. Joe Namath
   Otto Graham
2. Bart Starr
   Terry Bradshaw

Terry Bradshaw was never the greatest regular season quarterback, but he did win four Super Bowl titles with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even during his MVP season in 1978, Bradshaw only threw for 182 yards per game with a 56.3 completion percentage, but the Steelers were able to capture a championship that year.

1. Terrell Davis
   Shaun Alexander
2. Bo Jackson
   Frank Gore

Throughout the 2000s, Shaun Alexander proved he was one of the best running backs of the decade by twice leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns and once in rushing yards. For his accomplishments, including his MVP in 2005, Alexander was added to the 2000s All-Decade Team.

1. Walter Payton
   Eric Dickerson
2. Gale Sayers
   Curtis Martin

Walter Payton held several NFL records at the time of his retirement in 1987, though many of those records have been broken. The records he held included rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and all-purpose yards. All three of those are still records for the Chicago Bears, however.

1. Eric Dickerson
   Jerome Bettis
2. Marshall Faulk
   Marshawn Lynch

Marshall Faulk never carried the football more than 260 times during the height of his career in St. Louis. However, he was a consistent receiving threat for the Rams, catching 81 passes during his MVP season in 2000.

1. Johnny Unitas
   Roger Staubach
2. Joe Theismann
   Otto Graham

The season before being named the league MVP, Joe Theismann led the Washington Redskins to a Super Bowl victory over the Miami Dolphins. During the game, Theismann only threw for 143 yards, but he did throw two touchdown passes, as the Redskins won 27-17.

1. Marcus Allen
   Thurman Thomas
2. LaDainian Tomlinson
   Curtis Martin

When LaDainian Tomlinson won the NFL MVP in 2006, he set the single-season rushing touchdowns record with 28 touchdowns. He added three receiving touchdowns and two passing touchdowns to this total to finish the season with 33 total touchdowns.

1. Len Dawson
   Joe Namath
2. Johnny Unitas
   Ken Stabler

The 1974 season was one of the few seasons where Ken Stabler threw more touchdown passes than interceptions, finishing the season with 26 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. For his career, though, Stabler threw 194 touchdowns and 222 interceptions.

1. Terrell Davis
   Tiki Barber
2. Herschel Walker
   Priest Holmes

Following his MVP season in 1998 in which he also won the Super Bowl, Terrell Davis tore his ACL and MCL, forcing him to miss most of the 1999 season. After playing in only 13 games between the 2000 and 2001 seasons, Davis decided to retire from professional football.

1. Norm Van Brocklin
   Fran Tarkenton
2. Archie Manning
   Craig Morton

Fran Tarkenton was a veteran quarterback who was in his second stint with the Minnesota Vikings when he was named the MVP in 1975. That season, he led the Vikings to a 12-2 record, the best in the NFC. However, his accomplishments were dashed when the Vikings lost in the Divisional Round to the Dallas Cowboys.

1. Michael Vick
   Warren Moon
2. Steve McNair
   Donovan McNabb

In the 1999 season, Steve McNair led the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV. That team went up against the St. Louis Rams, coming one yard short of potentially tying the game with a two-point conversion. It was McNair's only Super Bowl appearance.

1. Thurman Thomas
   Tony Dorsett
2. Earl Campbell
   John Riggins

Despite his individual success, Thurman Thomas had to play for the cursed Buffalo Bills team that went to four straight Super Bowls but lost every one of them. He won his MVP during the team's second Super Bowl run, where they lost to the Washington Redskins in the championship game.

1. Dan Fouts
   Troy Aikman
2. Jim Kelly
   Ken Anderson

In 1981, the year he won the NFL MVP, Ken Anderson led the league in passer rating for the third time in his NFL career. It was also Anderson's personal best passer rating at 98.4. He led the league once more in that category the following season before his stats started to decline.

1. Jim Brown
   Earl Campbell
2. O.J. Simpson
   Tony Dorsett

Earl Campbell came into the NFL ready to punish defenders, earning both the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year during his inaugural season. He followed that up with the NFL MVP his second season along with another NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

1. Eric Dickerson
   John Riggins
2. O.J. Simpson
   Jim Taylor

During his MVP season, O.J. Simpson led the league in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He even set an NFL record for most rushing yards per game with 143.1 yards per game. Had the NFL played 16 games like they play today, Simpson would probably still hold the single-season rushing record.

1. Eric Dickerson
   Jim Brown
2. Larry Brown
   Tony Dorsett

Larry Brown played eight seasons in the NFL, all with the Washington Redskins. Starting in his rookie year, Brown was named to four straight Pro Bowls, culminating in his 1972 MVP season, where he rushed for 1,216 yards.

1. Bert Jones
   Dan Fouts
2. Sammy Baugh
   Sonny Jurgensen

Throwing for 3,104 yards and 24 touchdowns, Bert Jones made the only Pro Bowl of his career during his MVP season in 1976. He was also named to the First-team All-Pro for the only time in his NFL career.

1. Johnny Unitas
   Y.A. Tittle
2. Bart Starr
   John Brodie

During his MVP season, John Brodie led the league in both passing yards and passing touchdowns. His play earned him his second Pro Bowl selection and his first addition to the First-team All-Pro.

1. Sammy Baugh
   Warren Moon
2. Brian Sipe
   Bob Griese

Brian Sipe's 1980 season was the only time in his career that he was able to complete over 60 percent of his passes. He also finished the season with the most passing yards and passing touchdowns of his NFL career.

1. Morten Andersen
   Mark Moseley
2. Adam Vinatieri
   Lou Groza

Mark Moseley won the MVP during a shortened season in 1982 after making 20 of his 21 field goals on the season. In total, Moseley scored 76 points to help the Washington Redskins secure a spot in the playoffs.

1. Deacon Jones
   Alan Page
2. Joe Greene
   Bruce Smith

A member of the defensive unit known as the "Purple People Eaters," Alan Page was almost unblockable during his prime, including his MVP season in 1971. Page proved his worth by being the aggressor who went after ball carriers rather than wait for them to come to him.

1. Roman Gabriel
   Norm Van Brocklin
2. Joe Namath
   Charlie Conerly

Before joining the NFL, Roman Gabriel played college football at NC State, where he was twice named ACC Player of the Year. After a successful career in college, he became the second pick in the 1962 NFL Draft.