Winning the NFL MVP is supposed to be a golden ticket. It means you were the best player in the best football league in the world for an entire season, and that kind of recognition tends to follow a player for the rest of their lives. For most winners, it is a stepping stone to Canton. For some, though, it is the peak of a career that the Hall of Fame voters ultimately passed on.
The reasons vary. Some played in eras that don’t get the same historical respect. Some had their careers cut short by injuries. Others put together one transcendent season surrounded by years that were merely good. And a few just never got the votes, despite bodies of work that hold up against those who did.
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The players on this list all share one thing: a league MVP trophy sitting somewhere at home and no gold jacket to go with it. Some of these omissions are genuinely hard to explain. Others spark real debate every time the Hall of Fame ballot comes around. Here are the 10 NFL MVPs who still aren’t in the Hall of Fame.
10. Larry Brown
Unknown date; Washington, DC, USA; FILE PHOTO; Washington Redskins running back Larry Brown (43) carries the ball against the Miami Dolphins at RFK Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports
Super Bowl MVP: Super Bowl XXX (1996) | Team: Dallas Cowboys | 2 interceptions in the Super Bowl
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Larry Brown’s MVP came in the biggest game of the year, not the regular season, and that distinction matters. He picked off Neil O’Donnell twice in Super Bowl XXX and both interceptions led directly to Dallas touchdowns in a 27-17 win over Pittsburgh. It was the defining moment of his career, and while one big game alone doesn’t make a Hall of Famer, it made him a champion. The debate over whether a Super Bowl MVP belongs in Canton alongside the others on this list is a fair one.
9. Bert Jones
Nov 21, 1982; Atlanta, GA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Bert Jones (17) in action against the Atlanta Falcons at Fulton County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
NFL MVP: 1976 | Team: Baltimore Colts | 3,104 passing yards, 24 TDs, 102.5 passer rating
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Bert Jones in 1976 was as efficient as any quarterback in the league, completing 60 percent of his passes, averaging 9.0 yards per attempt, and leading the NFL in passing yards. Injuries derailed what looked like it could have been a long run at the top, and his prime was short enough that voters have struggled to make the case for him. But the numbers from his best seasons hold up, and those who watched him play still wonder what a full, healthy career could have looked like.
8. Mark Moseley
Oct 21, 1984; St. Louis, MO, USA; FILE PHOTO; Washington Redskins kicker Mark Moseley (3) attempts a field goal against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit Herb Weitman-USA TODAY Sports
NFL MVP: 1982 | Team: Washington Redskins | 20 of 21 field goals, 95.2% success rate
Mark Moseley remains the only kicker in NFL history to win the Associated Press MVP award, which tells you just how good he was in that strike-shortened 1982 season. He made 20 of 21 field goals at a time when kicking was far less reliable across the league, and his accuracy carried Washington through a season where every game counted more than usual. Being a kicker has always made the Hall of Fame conversation harder, but Moseley’s case is one the sport still hasn’t fully resolved.
7. Steve McNair
Tennessee Oilers quarterback Steve McNair sits alone on the bench as the closing seconds tick off the clock during their matchup with San Diego Chargers at Vanderbilt University’s Dudley Field on Sept. 13, 1998. The Oilers, playing their first regular season NFL game in Nashville, struggled in their 13-7 lost before a sellout crowd.
NFL MVP: 2003 (co-MVP with Peyton Manning) | Team: Tennessee Titans | 3,215 passing yards, 24 TDs, 100.4 passer rating
Steve McNair shared the 2003 MVP with Peyton Manning, which might be the most telling detail of his career: even in his best season, he was in elite company. He was one of the toughest quarterbacks the sport has ever seen, playing through injuries that would have sidelined most players and willing his team to wins with both his arm and his legs. The Hall of Fame debate around McNair tends to center on longevity, but the players who lined up against him never questioned whether he belonged.
6. Rich Gannon
Oct 24, 1999; Oakland, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Oakland Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon (12) throws the ball against the New York Jets at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY NETWORK
NFL MVP: 2002 | Team: Oakland Raiders | 4,689 passing yards, 26 TDs, 418 completions, 97.2 passer rating
Rich Gannon won the MVP at 37 years old in his 15th NFL season, which is one of the stranger and more remarkable storylines in league history. He led the league in completions with 418 and threw for 4,689 yards while guiding the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII. The Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay put a complicated ending on what had been a brilliant season, and Gannon’s career arc, a journeyman who peaked late, has made the Hall of Fame case a tough one to build.
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5. Brian Sipe
Dec 7, 1980; Cleveland, OH, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Sipe (17) in action against the New York Jets at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY NETWORK
NFL MVP: 1980 | Team: Cleveland Browns | 4,132 passing yards, 30 TDs
Brian Sipe became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season when he did it in 1980, which puts his achievement in real historical context. He threw 30 touchdown passes and led Cleveland to an 11-5 record during what Browns fans still call “Kardiac Kids” season. His career was not long enough to build a Hall of Fame résumé beyond that peak, but for one season, nobody played better.
4. Boomer Esiason
Jan 22, 1989; Miami, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason (7) carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XXIII at Joe Robbie Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Bengals 20-16. Mandatory Credit: Bob Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
NFL MVP: 1988 | Team: Cincinnati Bengals | 3,572 passing yards, 28 TDs, 97.4 passer rating
Boomer Esiason’s 1988 season was brilliant enough to carry the Bengals all the way to Super Bowl XXIII, where they came up just short against Joe Montana and San Francisco. He was a four-time Pro Bowler with a left-handed release that gave defensive coordinators fits, and his MVP season ranks among the best single-season performances by a quarterback in the sport’s history. The Super Bowl loss has always loomed over the conversation, but it shouldn’t take much away from what he built.
3. Shaun Alexander
Jan 22, 2006; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back (37) Shaun Alexander tries to elude the tackle of Carolina Panthers cornerback (23) Ken Lucas and safety (27) Marlon McCree during the 2nd half of the NFC Championship game at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks won the game 34-14. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports Copyright © 2006 Bob Donnan
NFL MVP: 2005 | Team: Seattle Seahawks | 1,880 rushing yards, 27 TDs (NFL record at the time)
Shaun Alexander set the NFL single-season touchdown record in 2005 with 27, led the league in rushing yards, and carried Seattle to its first Super Bowl appearance. He was the engine of everything the Seahawks did that year, and the numbers he put up were historically significant, not just impressive by the standards of that season. Running backs have always faced a tougher road to Canton, and Alexander’s career was shortened quickly after that peak, but the 2005 season alone is one for the history books.
2. Ken Anderson
Dec 9, 1973; Cincinnati, OH, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson (14) in action against the Cleveland Browns at Riverfront Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
NFL MVP: 1981 | Team: Cincinnati Bengals | 3,754 passing yards, 29 TDs, 98.4 passer rating, 62.6% completion rate
Ken Anderson led Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl in 1981 with a season that was statistically ahead of its time. His 62.6% completion rate was exceptional for that era, and he set an NFL record for completion percentage the following year at 70.6%, a mark that stood for over 25 years until Drew Brees broke it. He played 16 seasons for one franchise, made four Pro Bowls, and never got the Hall of Fame recognition his career deserved. It remains one of the more glaring omissions in Canton’s history.
1. Joe Theismann
Jan 30, 1983; Pasadena, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Washington Redskins tight end Rick Walker (88) looks to block for running back John Riggins (44) as he carries the ball after a hand off from Joe Theismann (7) against the Miami Dolphins during Super Bowl XVII at the Rose Bowl. The Redskins defeated the Dolphins 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
NFL MVP: 1983 | Team: Washington Redskins | 3,714 passing yards, 29 TDs, 97.0 passer rating
Joe Theismann’s 1983 season was the complete package: nearly 3,800 yards, 29 touchdowns, a 97.0 passer rating, and a Super Bowl title the season before as the foundation. He was named NFL MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and First-Team All-Pro in the same year, which is about as dominant a sweep as you can have. His career ended abruptly in 1985 on a play that is still hard to watch, and some argue that cut short a case that was building toward Canton. The Hall of Fame still hasn’t come calling.
They earned the hardware, now where’s the jacket?
Nov 21, 1982; Atlanta, GA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Bert Jones (17) in action against the Atlanta Falcons at Fulton County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Winning NFL MVP and not making the Hall of Fame is rarer than it sounds, and every name on this list has a case worth arguing. Some were victims of the era, some of the position, and some of a single injury at the wrong time. The gold jacket and the MVP trophy should go hand in hand, and for these 10 players, that second piece of the puzzle is still missing.