Vikings WR Justin Jefferson makes bid for first non-QB MVP since 2012

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson became the only non-quarterback to make the Associated Press Most Valuable Player finalist list. 

Not even the 23-year-old wide receiver could believe the selection.

"I'm honored just to be a candidate," Jefferson wrote in a Wednesday tweet.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, Cincinnati Bengals signal caller Joe Burrow and Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes rounded out the list.

Jefferson earned just over 1,800 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 128 receptions for the Vikings this season, according to Pro Football reference. He earned his third Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection as he averaged a career-high 106.4 yards per game.

Should he win the MVP race, he would be the first non-quarterback to win the award since former Vikings running back Adrian Peterson ran for just under 2,100 yards in 2012. Peterson won MVP and Offensive Player of the Year as he almost literally carried the Vikings to a wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers.

Jefferson's potential selection would mean everything for not just the Vikings, but extraordinary skill players across the NFL in a quarterback-driven league. Earning the award over players who play in what is considered to be the most important position in football would showcase just how impactful they are to any NFL offense. 

The league had 26 1,000-yard receivers in 2021, but only Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp earned a share of the AP MVP voting. Kupp did manage to win the AP Offensive Player of the Year, an award skill players have earned in six of the last nine years.

Or it could continue to be a once in a decade occurrence.

It will all depend on if this recent crop of receiving talent can give the quarterbacks a run for their money.