Bears’ Caleb Williams headlines dark horse candidates to win NFL MVP

The 2025 NFL season is a few months away, but it’s never too early to discuss the greatest individual award in the sport — Most Valuable Player.

The MVP doesn’t always go to the “best” player. Instead, it’s given to the player who increases their team’s value the most while still achieving individual greatness.

That said, there’s already a ton of chatter about who is primed to take home the highly coveted award this year.

Chris Broussard offered three players that could fit this narrative and impress beyond expectation to win MVP on Thursday’s episode of “First Things First.”

Purdy has been in the MVP conversation throughout his career, finishing as high as fourth in voting in 2023. His case is largely buoyed by the Niners’ consistent regular-season success and depth of perimeter talent. This year, however, pushing Purdy’s name into the MVP debate will come down to his ability to elevate his teammates — rather than the other way around. The Niners let go of significant pieces on both sides of the ball this offseason, with the most notable departures being Deebo Samuel (to the Washington Commanders) and Dre Greenlaw (to the Denver Broncos).

Purdy, who signed a five-year contract worth $265 million in May, still has his most trusted pass-catchers in tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffery. To win the MVP, however, he’ll have to get the most of a receiving corps filled with question marks. Brandon Aiyuk is recovering from injuries to his MCL and ACL, leaving second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall, who dealt with a gun shot wound injury last year, and Juaun Jennings to carry the load.

“He wants to live up to his money,” Broussard said. The 49ers are blessed with the league’s easiest schedule, which played a part in Broussard’s selection. Ultimately, though, San Francisco will go as far as Purdy can take them.

Mayfield is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, posting career-highs in completion percentage (71.4), passing yards (4,500) and touchdowns (41) while leading the Bucs to another NFC South title.

He earned two MVP votes to show for it and proved that earning the highly coveted award is in the realm of possibilities. To establish himself in the conversation as someone who earns real consideration and first-place votes, he’d have to repeat — or even best — a season that seems like an outlier compared to the rest of his career.

He has proved he’s capable of rising to the occasion when it matters most, though, and he certainly has the weapons to do so. The Bucs have two of the best pass-catching running backs in Bucky Irving and Rachaad White and one of the most consistent downfield threats in Mike Evans, who is complemented by intermediate-area targets Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillian. The Bucs also spent their first-round draft pick on former Ohio State wideout Emeka Egbuka.

If Mayfield can maximize this plethora of surrounding talent, he could very well find himself fighting for the MVP.

Williams was the first overall pick in 2024 by the Bears. When a team invests that much draft capital in a player, winning an MVP at some point is their hope — if not their expectation. For Williams to enter that conversation, he’d have to make a pretty significant leap in his second NFL season.

Last year, he completed just 62.5% of his passes (fourth among rookies) for 3,541 yards (third among rookies). Neither metric ranked inside the top 15 for starters. He started all 17 games, and the Bears went a dismal 5-12.

Many quarterbacks selected with high draft capital have taken second-year leaps. To win MVP, though, Williams has to show signs of improvement with his accuracy and decisiveness.

“I would be surprised if he did not play well,” Broussard said. “He showed flashes.”

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