The NFL MVP conversation has become a quarterback-only club, and fans are fed up. The last non-quarterback to take home the hardware was Adrian Peterson back in 2012, when he tore up the league with 2,097 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns for the Vikings. Since then, it's been a QB monopoly, and the current betting odds are doing nothing to calm the growing frustration.
This week, oddsmakers have Josh Allen and Brock Purdy as the clear front-runners, with Patrick Mahomes also in the mix. But here's the kicker: Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III is on pace for a season for the ages, yet he's not even cracking the top five in MVP odds. Walker has racked up 665 rushing yards and six touchdowns in just five games, single-handedly powering the Chiefs' offense. Still, Mahomes, his own quarterback, has better odds than he does. That's a tough pill to swallow for anyone who values the "most valuable" part of the award.
The snub has ignited a firestorm on social media, with fans calling for the award to be rebranded. "Abolish the MVP Award Now. Just make it Best QB of the Year. The fact that Kenneth Walker and JSN aren’t here is a crime," one Seahawks fan posted. Another chimed in, "The MVP has been a joke in the NFL and NBA for decades. It’s insane that Walker isn’t leading the odds." Even Chiefs content creators are baffled, with one simply stating, "No Kenneth Walker is a joke."
The debate isn't new. Saquon Barkley's near-miss two years ago, when he didn't win despite a monster season, only reinforced the belief that non-QBs are fighting a losing battle. As one fan put it, "If Saquon didn’t win it 2 years ago no one but QBs will ever win it again."
Walker will get a chance to make his case on the biggest stage this Sunday night when the Chiefs face the Seattle Seahawks on national television. It's a revenge game of sorts, as Walker didn't get a fair contract offer from Seattle this past offseason. The emotional weight isn't lost on his quarterback. "I know it’s going to be a special moment for him to get back to the place where you kind of built your career, and won a Super Bowl," Mahomes told reporters. "Those fans were the people around him for all that. A lot of those people were teammates he grew up with as well in the NFL. It will be a special moment for him."
If Walker powers the Chiefs to a win over his former team, it could give his MVP case a much-needed boost. But even then, the odds are stacked against him. The award has become so quarterback-centric that some wonder if it's worth keeping at all, especially with the league already celebrating QBs in so many other ways. The frustration is real, and it's not just about Walker—it's about the principle.
As the season rolls on, the debate will only intensify. Will the MVP voters ever look beyond the quarterback position? History says no. But fans are making their voices heard, and maybe, just maybe, a running back on a historic tear will force a change. Until then, the grumbling will continue, and the odds will keep favoring the signal-callers.
