There’s just something about the MVP award that turns even the most decorated quarterbacks into wide-eyed hopefuls. Even for quarterbacks with rings, records, and resume stacks taller than a goalpost, the MVP still feels like the crown jewel. It’s the shiny badge that says, ‘I was him that year.‘ You can win a Super Bowl, light up defences for 50 touchdowns, or completely change how we think the position should be played—but if you’ve never snagged that MVP? Think about legends like Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Aikman. There’s always gonna be that one fan who pipes up with, ‘Yeah, but was he ever the best?‘ Brutal.
Now picture this: legends who dominated Sundays, shattered records, and carried franchises—yet somehow never heard their name called for MVP. Feels almost wrong, right? And yet, here we are. Super Bowl champs, stat-sheet kings, faces of eras… all left empty-handed when MVP ballots came around. Let’s discuss seven such players, as put together by. B/R Gridiron on Instagram.
Troy Aikman
In 1993, Troy Aikman put together an MVP-worthy campaign—3,100 passing yards, a sharp 69.1% completion rate, a 99.0 passer rating, and he led the Dallas Cowboys to a 12–4 record. That’s the kind of season you circle on the MVP ballot without hesitation. But somehow, he got passed over. Emmitt Smith’s rushing totals—1,486 yards and 16 touchdowns—stole the spotlight from voters. Fair?
Not really. Aikman was the engine of that offence, the steady hand behind it all. He didn’t chase MVPs—he chased rings—but that doesn’t mean he didn’t deserve one.
Drew Brees
Talk about MVP material—Drew Brees didn’t just flirt with 5,000 yards, he obliterated it. He threw for 5,069 yards in 2008, then topped even that with 5,476 in 2011. That’s not just production, that’s video game stuff. And even in 2018, at age 39, he nearly hit 4,000 yards with 32 touchdowns and finished second in MVP voting. The guy was the New Orleans Saints. He led, he inspired, and he put up numbers that should’ve locked up at least one MVP trophy. But for some reason, voters never gave him the nod. One of the biggest “how did that not happen?” mysteries in NFL history.
Eli Manning
Eli Manning gave the New York Giants fans two of the greatest Super Bowl wins ever—both against the dynasty Pats, both with MVP trophies in hand. He didn’t just win; he delivered in the biggest moments. But zoom out to the regular season, and the numbers don’t exactly scream MVP: a 117–117 record, an 84.1 passer rating, and not a single MVP vote to his name. Giants fans will tell you—loudly—that what Eli did in the playoffs should count for more. But MVP voters? They’ve always leaned stat sheet over clutch gene, and that’s probably why Eli never got his due in the regular season spotlight.
Warren Moon
Warren Moon broke barriers. Smashed them right off. The first true CFL-to-NFL star, Moon’s 1990 season was absolutely MVP-worthy: over 4,600 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and a command of the Oilers’ offence that was way ahead of its time. But somehow? No MVP votes. None. He made it to the Hall of Fame, sure, but no league MVP and no Super Bowl ring to show for it. For a guy who changed the game and piled up stats that should’ve turned heads, it’s wild how often voters looked the other way.
Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers didn’t just have a long career—he had a ridiculously productive one. Nearly 64,000 passing yards, over 400 touchdowns, and a rock-solid 95.2 passer rating? That’s the stuff of legends. In 2008, he led the entire league in passing touchdowns. In 2010, he topped the NFL in passing yards. The result? Not even a single MVP vote.
It’s kind of wild when you really stop and think about it. Philip Rivers might not have had the flash of Rodgers or the rings like Brady—but what he did bring, every single week, was straight-up consistency and heart. He talked trash like a pro (without even cussing, somehow!), showed up every Sunday with fire in his eyes, and kept the Chargers—yeah, even when they were in San Diego—in the fight year after year. And still? The guy barely got his flowers.
Roger Staubach
The Cowboys were not all about Troy Aikman. “Captain America” really was that guy. Roger Staubach lit up Dallas with five Super Bowl trips, two rings, and the kind of poise that made every Cowboys drive feel like a movie. In 1973, he led the entire league in touchdown passes and passer rating—numbers that scream MVP in today’s world.
It was a whole different world back then. MVPs weren’t always going to quarterbacks, yet. That year, they gave it to a defensive tackle. Respect to the big men up front, but seriously—Staubach was doing stuff that would’ve broken the internet today.
Ben Roethlisberger
Let’s be real—Big Ben was built differently. Two rings. Six Pro Bowls. And a whole career full of those how-did-he-escape-that plays. You remember them—the broken tackles, the clutch throws, the fourth-quarter comebacks when it felt like the entire stadium was holding its breath. If the game was on the line, there was no one else you wanted under center.
Steelers fans knew it. The whole city felt it. Defenders across the league? Yeah, they knew better than to think a sack was a done deal. Ben made plays that looked impossible. And he made them all the time. But when it came to MVP talk? Nothing. Silence. Even in 2009, when he was carrying the team, named team MVP, and playing out of his mind, league voters just kind of shrugged. No love. No trophy. And no explanation.
Was it because he wasn’t flashy? Because he didn’t do the whole look-at-me thing like some of the other QBs? Maybe. But if you watched the games—if you lived and breathed those Sundays—you know. Ben Roethlisberger deserved a seat at that MVP table.
When you really sit with it, it’s kind of crazy—not one of these seven quarterbacks ever won an MVP. Not one. We’re talking guys like Drew Brees and Troy Aikman, who carried teams, changed the game, and made Sundays feel electric. Some of them lifted Lombardi trophies. Others put up stats that made your jaw drop. All of them? They were the kind of players fans still talk about like it was yesterday. “Remember that drive?” “Remember that throw?” You don’t forget guys like this.
And still… no MVP. Maybe the timing was off. Maybe voters just got numb to how good they were, week after week. Or maybe they weren’t flashy enough—just too steady, too dependable to grab headlines. But ask any fan who watched them and they’ll tell you. These guys were MVPs.
The post NFL’s Biggest Snubs: 7 Greatest QBs Who Never Won MVP Ft. Troy Aikman appeared first on EssentiallySports.