Most NFL MVP Awards Won

Peyton Manning holds the record for the most NFL Most Valuable Player awards, winning the Associated Press MVP five times between 2003 and 2013. No other player has reached five, and Manning claimed his across two franchises, four with the Indianapolis Colts and a record-setting fifth with the Denver Broncos in 2013.

The MVP is pro football’s most prestigious individual honor, voted on by a national panel and awarded to the single player judged most valuable across a regular season. In the modern game it is overwhelmingly a quarterback’s prize, which makes the handful of players who have won it more than twice a truly elite group. Here is the full leaderboard of NFL MVP winners, the careers behind the numbers, and who could climb it next. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

The record holder: Peyton Manning and five MVPs

Manning’s five MVPs are a testament to two decades of elite play. He won his first two in 2003 and 2004 with the Colts, added back-to-back honors in 2008 and 2009, and then, after a neck injury and move to Denver, produced arguably his greatest statistical season in 2013, throwing a then-record 55 touchdown passes to claim MVP number five.

What sets Manning apart is not just the total but the span. His five awards came over an eleven-year stretch and with two different teams, underlining a rare combination of peak brilliance and longevity at the game’s most demanding position.

The full leaderboard of NFL MVP winners

The table below ranks players by total Associated Press NFL MVP awards. Active players are noted.

Rank	MVPs	Player	Award years
1	5	Peyton Manning	2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013
2	4	Aaron Rodgers	2011, 2014, 2020, 2021
3	3	Jim Brown	1957, 1958, 1965
3	3	Brett Favre	1995, 1996, 1997
3	3	Johnny Unitas	1959, 1964, 1967
6	2	Joe Montana	1989, 1990
6	2	Steve Young	1992, 1994
6	2	Kurt Warner	1999, 2001
6	2	Patrick Mahomes*	2018, 2022
6	2	Lamar Jackson*	2019, 2023

*Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are active; their totals are current through the 2025 season and could still climb.

The list stretches from 1950s icons Jim Brown and Johnny Unitas to today’s stars, with quarterbacks filling almost every slot in the modern era. Aaron Rodgers sits alone in second, while a cluster of two-time winners headlines the active chase.

Aaron Rodgers and the modern quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers is the closest challenger to Manning, with four MVPs built on efficiency and an unmatched touchdown-to-interception ratio. His pair of consecutive awards in 2020 and 2021 confirmed his standing among the greatest passers of his generation.

Below him, the award has become a near-annual quarterback showcase. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, both active and both two-time winners, headline a group that also includes Joe Montana, Steve Young and Kurt Warner. Mahomes in particular looms as the most likely candidate to eventually threaten Manning’s record. His postseason greatness is captured on our leaderboard of the most Super Bowl appearances.

Jim Brown and the non-quarterbacks

Jim Brown’s three MVPs remain the most by any non-quarterback, a reminder of an era when dominant running backs could carry the award. Brown paced the league in rushing in almost every season he played and set standards that endured for decades, as our leaderboards for the most touchdowns in NFL history and career passing production help put in context. Today, though, the ballot is so quarterback-heavy that a repeat non-quarterback winner would be a genuine surprise.

Why the record matters

The MVP rewards the player who most shapes a season, and in a passing-driven league that almost always means an elite quarterback. Manning’s five awards, earned with two franchises across eleven years, capture exactly the blend of peak and durability the honor is meant to celebrate. Defensive greatness rarely factors into MVP voting, which is one reason our most interceptions in NFL history leaderboard tells a very different story about value.

The short version: Peyton Manning holds the NFL MVP record with five awards, ahead of Aaron Rodgers (4) and the three-time winners Jim Brown, Brett Favre and Johnny Unitas. As of the 2025 season, active stars Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson lead the chase with two apiece, but Manning’s five still stands alone.