Regardless of how his career turns out after this point, Josh Allen’s name will always be recorded in the history books as the MVP of the 2024 NFL season.
The Bills star QB was excellent from September right through to January. And while the Bills ended the playoffs in disappointment, it was personally a successful season for the quarterback.
And yet, in some ‘versions’ of the roll of honor, there will be an asterisk beside Allen’s name on those MVP lists.
You see, Allen was named the MVP by the Associated Press, which is broadly considered the de facto award (basically the one that the NFL recognizes as official). Yet, Lamar Jackson won the PFWA (Professional Football Writers of America) MVP Award.
Voters Split on Two Top-Tier Stars
It is scarce, especially in recent years, for the two sports journalism bodies to disagree on who the MVP is, so usually there is little issue. Yet, last season, two quarterbacks split the votes, with many unable to agree on who the best candidate was.
As it so happens, those two, Jackson and Allen, lead the markets in the 2025 NFL MVP betting odds as we go into the new season.
The two players also play for the two teams, the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, that are the favorites for Super Bowl LX.
Moreover, those two teams will clash in Week 1 of the new season, playing a blockbuster matchup at Highmark Stadium on September 7 to open the new NFL campaign with a bang.
You can appreciate that this is a straightforward narrative for the sports media to pick up. Sports leagues need stories and rivalries, and there is no better one to tell than two great players representing two great teams with little to choose between them.
The Ravens and Bills are both AFC teams, so this can’t be a Super Bowl matchup, but it is being billed as a clash of the league’s best, with potential repercussions for the rest of the season.
Plenty of Great Players Are in the Running Again
And yet, sports are never as easy as picking out the preseason favorites (for both individual players and championships), and assuming that everything will go in a straight line.
Some brilliant players are breathing down the necks of Jackson and Allen, and it would be no surprise to see someone else crowned by the AP (and PFWA) next year.
Indeed, you should not rule out Joe Burrow. The Bengals quarterback was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year last term, and he surpassed both Allen and Jackson in several metrics, leading the NFL in passing touchdowns and passing yards, for instance.
His main issue was the patchy form of the Bengals, but if they pick up this season, Burrow will have a shot. This has been reflected in sportsbooks’ preseason MVP odds.
