The MVP award is the most illustrious personal accolade you can win in the NFL, as it shows that a player has been the best in a league of more than 1600.
And a small handful of players have won the award on more than one occasion.
Here, we have looked into the 11 who have won the NFL MVP award the most.
Peyton Manning – 5
Of his 17 years in the league, Manning was voted in the top 10 for the MVP award in 10 of them, winning it five times.
Manning never won fewer than 12 games in an MVP season, and given he was leading his sides, that shows he had consistently good seasons.
In his first MVP season, he led the league in yards, with 4267, and in his second, he led in touchdowns, with 49. The Indianapolis Colts won 12 games in both of those seasons.
Four years later, in 2008 – another 12-win season – Manning threw 4002 yards and 27 touchdowns. The next season, the Colts won 14 games as Manning’s passing yards ended a round 4500, with 33 touchdowns.
In his first season in a new system with the Denver Broncos, Manning finished second in MVP voting. Then the very next season he broke the record for passing touchdowns in a season, with 55, as he threw 5477 yards, another league record.
Aaron Rodgers – 4
The weight of passing yards and ability to keep his side in possession has been a theme in Rodgers’ career success. His first MVP season saw him throw 45 touchdowns and 4643 yards – he won 14 games and earned a Super Bowl ring – and in his second, he threw 38 touchdowns and 4381 yards.
Six years after his 2014 MVP award, Rodgers registered his most passing touchdowns in a season with 48, as the Green Bay Packers won 13 games.
They won the same amount next season, with Rodgers throwing 37 touchdowns. In those two seasons, Rodgers had the lowest interception percentage in the league – one percent and then 0.8, and won MVP both years.
The value of being able to keep the ball out of the clutches of other teams is clearly an important quality for a quarterback, and Rodgers has the lowest interception percentage in the history of the league, deserving of being seen as one of its best ever quarterbacks.
Tom Brady – 3
Widely regarded as the GOAT in the NFL, Brady has won the most Super Bowls of any player, with seven, but in many of those seasons he was not seen as the best player in the league.
In his first MVP season, in 2007, the New England Patriots did not make the Super Bowl, but Brady was the leader in almost every passing statistic, including yards (4806), touchdowns (50), and yards per game (300.4).
Three years later, Brady was again named MVP, and again he threw more touchdowns (36) than any other player. In the next six years, Brady came second in MVP voting on three occasions, before he again won the accolade in 2017.
He threw for a league-leading 4577 yards, led the Patriots to 13 wins, a Super Bowl, and became the oldest player to win the MVP award, at 40.
Brett Favre – 3
Favre played in the league for 20 seasons, but had a purple patch in his 20s that saw him named MVP three years in a row.
In 1995, his first MVP season, Favre threw a league-leading 4413 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also threw a 99-yard touchdown pass that season, for the longest play ever in the NFL.
Favre was the passing touchdown leader in each of his three MVP seasons, throwing 39 in the second season he won it and 35 in his third.
In 1997, he also led the Green Bay Packers to 13 wins, and a spot in the Super Bowl, where they beat the New England Patriots 35-21.
Johnny Unitas – 3
In 1959, Baltimore Colts quarterback Unitas both attempted and completed the most passes, threw for the most yards (2899) and threw the most touchdowns (32). He was also the most clutch player in the league, leading the most game-winning drives that season.
He had to wait another five years before he’d win MVP again, when in 1964, he gained more yards per pass than any other quarterback, showing a lot of value, as the Colts won 12 games.
Three years later, Unitas led them to an 11-win season and secured the MVP award for the third time.
Jim Brown – 3
Cleveland Browns running back Brown played just nine years in the NFL, in the 1950s and 60s, and in only three of those was he not in the top three for MVP votes.
A pure athlete, considered one of the best running backs ever, Brown was the leader for rushing yards in his very first league season, with 942, and had the most rushing and receiving touchdowns (10) of any player, scooping the MVP award.
The very next season, Brown smashed his previous year out of the water, gaining 1527 yards, for 18 touchdowns, and another MVP award. Six years then passed before Brown’s final MVP award, in his final season, after he was voted in second the previous two years.
In his last year as a professional player, Brown scored more touchdowns than he ever had before (21) and rushed for 1544 yards, ensuring he won the MVP in his first and last seasons.
Patrick Mahomes – 2
The Kansas City Chiefs have been dominant for much of the past few seasons, and a lot of that has been down to Mahomes.
They won the Super Bowl in 2020, 2023 and 2024. Mahomes was voted in the top 10 for the MVP in each of those seasons but has had even better seasons when the Chiefs haven’t won.
In his first season as a starter in 2018, Mahomes threw for an even 50 touchdowns as he completed over 5000 yards in the air, and added 272 yards for two rushing touchdowns. The MVP award was never going to go anywhere else.
Then, in 2022, he had his best passing season ever and came within 300 yards of the all-time record when he threw for 5250 yards and 41 touchdowns. He also had his most rushing touchdowns ever (four) and third-most rushing yards (358).
Joe Montana – 2
Montana won both of his MVP awards fairly late in his career. The quarterback had played in the league for 10 years prior to first winning it in 1989, having already been voted in the top 10 four times in the preceding seasons.
Montana’s first MVP season saw him lead in completion percentage (70.2) and yards gained per game (270.8).
He won MVP again the next year, despite leading in no passing stats, as he led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl, which they won 55-10 against the Denver Broncos.
Lamar Jackson – 2
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Jackson was MVP in 2019 – his second season in the league – and again 2023. He had 36 passing touchdowns and seven rushing in 2019, as well as 3127 passing yards and 1206 on foot – the most in a season for a quarterback.
In 2023, after a couple of lean years, Jackson won the MVP for the second time as he threw for 24 touchdowns and 3678 yards, as well as five rushing touchdowns and 821 yards.
Steve Young – 2
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young almost secured MVP awards in three consecutive seasons, but he finished second to Emmett Smith in 1993.
Young had won the award in ’92, throwing for 3465 yards and 25 touchdowns. He actually had more yards and more touchdowns the following season, and led the league in passing touchdowns, but could not beat Smith to the award.
Young came back better in ’94, though, leading the league in passing touchdowns, with 35, while he also had seven on foot – the most of his career. He also had 3969 passing yards, and his 70.3 per cent was the best completion rating in the league.
Though Young won three Super Bowls, none of them came in the same season as an MVP award.
Kurt Warner – 2
Undrafted out of college and moving into playing arena football, Warner’s journey to winning the MVP was spectacular. In his first season in the league, as a 27-year-old, the quarterback played just one game.
The following season, he played all 16, threw a league-leading 41 touchdowns, and was named MVP.
He missed a few games the following season, but came back strong the next year, as he won the MVP again in 2001, leading the league in passing yards (4830) and touchdowns (36).
Seven years later, in 2008, Warner was again in the top 10 for MVP voting, but his tally remained at two.
