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Reggie Bush Reveals His NFL MVP Pick

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Jan 23, 2025 5:28 PM ET

On Thursday, the Associated Press revealed the NFL MVP finalists, which included Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

The winner won't be announced until Feb. 6 at the NFL Honors ceremony, and former NFL running back Reggie Bush recently revealed his pick for the award.

"I'm going to go with Saquon," he said via Responsible Gambling. "2,000 yards is hard as hell, especially in this era right now in football where teams are just not running the football as much like that anymore. I love seeing the Eagles get back to that run game because I think that's so important. I think that's also an important recipe for success."

Unfortunately for Bush's pick, Barkley is unlikely to win the award as it's essentially a two-man race between Allen and Jackson, but that doesn't mean he isn't worthy.

Through 16 starts, he ran the ball 345 times for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns while also having 33 receptions for 278 yards and two touchdowns.

In today's NFL, it's also extremely rare for any position other than a quarterback to win the award. Since 2000, running backs have only won four MVPs with quarterbacks winning it the other 21 seasons.

However, the last time a running back did take the MVP home was in 2012 by Adrian Peterson, whose numbers are extremely comparable to Barkley's. In that season, Peterson accumulated 2,097 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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