Two Ex-Vikings Emerge as Shock MVP Candidates
The Minnesota Vikings made a decision in the most recent offseason to part ways with Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold in free agency, and now those two players have honest-to-goodness chances at winning the NFL MVP award.
It may be hard to wrap your head around, but two ex-Minnesota Vikings players have a more than reasonable shot at winning the MVP award in 2025.
The two aren’t slam dunks to take home the trophy by any stretch of the imagination, but they are in the mix, and through five weeks of the regular season, the sample is large enough to determine legitimacy.
Ex-Vikings Daniel Jones & Sam Darnold Nibble at MVP
What a world where Jones and Darnold have a shot at the league’s almighty individual award.
Daniel Jones with +2700 Odds to Win MVP
Daniel Jones is on pace for 4,386 passing yards, 27 total touchdowns, and 14 interceptions + fumbles. He ranks second in the NFL per ESPN QBR — only bested by Darnold — and has +2700 odds to win the MVP award.
His case for the grand individual award is propped up by his team’s 4-1 record, and if the winning continues, he’ll almost certainly get a few MVP votes.
It’s also telling that Jones’ summer quarterback competition with Anthony Richardson feels like one million years ago. There is no quarterback debate in Indianapolis anymore. Jones has settled that and then some.
Sam Darnold at +5000
Darnold’s pace? With his current five-game production, scaled to 17, he’s on track for 4,236 passing yards, with 31 touchdowns and 17 interceptions + fumbles. He’s essentially on the same pace as last year, when he filled in for J.J. McCarthy from cover to cover in 2024.
The man had a crucial fumble in the first game of the season this go-round, but rebounded nicely to help his team win three straight. Then, last week, he threw an untimely interception that dashed the Seahawks’ chances of taking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Darnold does not appear to be on a path of slowing down, so everyone will just wait until playoff time to see if Darnold has exorcised those demons.
In the meantime, he’s a fringe MVP candidate.
The Rest of the Field
Here’s the full MVP race after Week 5:
Josh Allen, BUF: +135
Patrick Mahomes, KC: +470
Baker Mayfield, TB: +950
Jordan Love, GB: +1200
Jared Goff, DET: +1400
Matthew Stafford, LAR: +1400
Dak Prescott, DAL: +1700
Justin Herbert, LAC: +2000
Lamar Jackson, BAL: +2700
Jalen Hurts, PHI: +2700
Daniel Jones, IND: +2700
Drake Maye, NE: +3300
Jayden Daniels, WAS: +3300
Sam Darnold, SEA: +5000
Trevor Lawrence, JAX: +6000
Justin Jefferson is the closest Viking at +15000.
Who Wins if Not Jones or Darnold?
Listen, the league MVP award this year is probably Josh Allen’s to lose. It would mark back-to-back feats for the Bills passer, and truth be told, he would deserve it. What other player is carrying his team more than Allen?
If Allen were to get injured, the narrative would likely bend toward Baker Mayfield. He’s on pace for 4,362 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Sounds like an MVP stat line.
Otherwise, Patrick Mahomes is always lurking, and if the Chiefs rattle off a half-dozen dubs in a row, his name would be right in the hopper with Allen and Mayfield if it’s not already.
Darnold News and Notes
12thManRising.com‘s Lee Vowell wrote about Darnold after Week 5: “The quarterback might have two turnovers at the worst times in games this season, but his overall numbers are incredible. He’s completing 73.1 percent of his passes (third in the NFL), has a quarterback rating of 114.8 (third), and leads the league in yards per attempt, net yards per attempt, and adjusted yards per attempt.”
“If not for those key turnovers, Darnold might be in the running for NFL MVP through the first five games. While those turnovers are bad, they shouldn’t take away from how much worse the Seahawks would be if Seattle had a different quarterback.”
The Seahawks have a 63% chance of reaching the playoffs, per DVOA.
Vowell continued, “If not for a trade, the Seattle Seahawks would have been stuck with Geno Smith, who leads the league in interceptions both this season and since the start of 2024, and has a quarterback rating of 75.6 (29th). He almost definitely would have been no better for his last team this season.”
“One thing is for sure: Sam Darnold is earning every bit of the three-year and $100.5 million deal he signed with the Seahawks this year, and he is worthy of keeping around longer than one season when Seattle would have had an out. Seattle might have just stumbled upon its quarterback of the future, after all.”
Quarterbacks have won the MVP award in 12 straight seasons, dating back to Adrian Peterson in 2012.
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