In the 65 years since the AP started giving out the MVP award, 45 of the winners have been quarterbacks. A player at that position has won the award nine years in a row with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers winning in 2020 and 2021.
Last week, NFL.com’s Kevin Patra looked at each team’s roster and came up with the best options to be named MVP that weren’t quarterbacks, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill was the pick for Miami.
If the Dolphins dominate in 2022, the rise will largely stem from the added dimensions Hill brings to the offense. Yes, we’re all well aware of the consternation surrounding Tua Tagovailoa‘s deep passing. For our purposes in this exercise, we can suppose that’s an overblown narrative that becomes unfounded as Hill continues to be the most explosive deep player in the NFL. Added to that, the wideout joins an offense under Mike McDaniel that should excel at getting the speedster the ball in space. Hill leads the league with 3.4 yards of separation per route since 2016, per Next Gen Stats. I’m imagining Tyreek catching a bevy of short slants and using his breakneck speed to bust DB angles and scamper to the house. After leaving K.C., Hill lamented there were games he felt he wasn’t used enough. He will see the ball a ton in 2022.
Hill was acquired this offseason for five draft picks before signing a contract to make him the highest-paid wideout in NFL history. Making the Pro Bowl in each of his first six seasons, Hill has been one of the best players at his position for a while now, and he has the chance to prove he was more than just a product of the Kansas City Chiefs system.
However, for him to win MVP would be extremely rare. No wide receiver has ever won the award. It would be an amazing accomplishment to see Hill named MVP in his first season in aqua and orange.