NFL
Jordan Ramsay
February 2, 2024

Super Bowl Betting Odds: What position will win Super Bowl MVP?

The teams are set for Super Bowl 58 as the Kansas City Chiefs will look to be the first repeat winner in nearly 20 years when they face the San Francisco 49ers on February 11 in Las Vegas. With the big game a little over a week away, we’re taking a deep dive into the numbers and looking at which position, rather than player, will win Super Bowl MVP.

Make sure to check out our complete list of NFL game odds, NFL futures and NFL props and specials.

Super Bowl odds by position

It’s no secret the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, so it’s pretty easy to see why a quarterback winning Super Bowl MVP is favoured. Quarterbacks have won Super Bowl MVP 32 times (55.2 per cent), which is more than every other position combined. That follows a trend that has seen quarterbacks win regular season MVP 47 times (69.1 per cent). For Super Bowl 58, you’re looking at either Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes or San Francisco’s Brock Purdy. Mahomes has won Super Bowl MVP twice, including last year, while this is Purdy’s first trip to the Super Bowl.

If you’re looking for a value play, you might consider taking a receiver or running back to win Super Bowl MVP. Receivers have won eight times and running backs have won seven. Receivers Copper Kupp (2022) and Julian Eddelman (2019) are the last two non-QBs to win Super Bowl MVP. Niners running back Christian McCaffrey and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce are the most likely non-QBs to win the award this year.

Defensive players have won Super Bowl MVP 10 times, although linebackers Malcolm Smith (2014) and Von Miller (2016) are the only defensive players to win in the last 20 years. Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones and San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa are strong picks to consider if you think a defensive player will win MVP.

There are two key things you might want to avoid when betting on the Super Bowl MVP. First, keep in mind the award has only been won by a special teams player once and that was by Green Bay Packers kick/punt returner Desmond Howard in Super Bowl 31 in 1997. And second, the only player on the losing team to win MVP was Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley in Super Bowl 5 in 1971.

One last thing to consider when picking your Super Bowl 58 MVP. The winning team’s quarterback has won MVP in five of the last seven Super Bowls, so your first decision should be picking which team you think will win.