Could Tyreek Hill become the first EVER wideout to win MVP? Explosive Dolphins star is on course to set the receiving yards record – and another Super Bowl is in reach – but 49ers QB Brock Purdy currently leads the way

• Quarterbacks have won NFL’s Most Valuable Player award 46 times since 1957
• No wide receiver has ever clinched it, but Hill is enjoying a remarkable season
• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news 

Perhaps they should rename it the MVQ. After all, a quarterback has been named the NFL’s most valuable player of the regular season 46 times since 1957.

Quarterbacks are the lifeblood of the NFL. They are its scarcest, most precious commodity and are protected and rewarded accordingly.

Of the highest-paid players this season, the top 15 are all quarterbacks. And 15 of the last 16 NFL MVP winners have been quarterbacks too.

Established in its current guise in 1957, 50 sportswriters are polled by the Associated Press each year with the annual award handed out in February. In the ultimate team sport, it is an acknowledgement of individual brilliance.

Yet it takes something out of the ordinary for a quarterback not to win MVP. The last time that happened was in 2012, when Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards, an agonizing nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s all-time season record.

Quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes have won the NFL’s MVP award 46 times since 1957

The last non-QB to win the prize was Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2012

In all, a running back has carried the gong 18 times. But only two defensive players have ever done so: Lawrence Taylor, the preponderant linebacker of the Eighties, won it in the Giants’ Super Bowl-winning 1986 season, 15 years after defensive tackle Alan Page, leader of the Vikings Purple People Eaters. Heck, even a kicker has won it – Washington’s Mark Moseley in 1982.

But no wide receiver ever has. Not the great Jerry Rice. Nor Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald nor Steve Largent. In 2012 Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson set the regular season record for 1,964 receiving yards. But the Lions legend was pipped by Peterson.

So could this finally be the year that a wideout wins MVP?

Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill was on course to break the 2,000-yard barrier last year, but his bid was derailed by multiple – many of them terrifying – injuries to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Regardless, Hill put up a career high 1,710 receiving yards off 119 receptions after catching passes from Tagovailoa and back ups Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson as the Dolphins went 9-8 and lost against the Bills on wild card weekend.

Buoyed by the return of Tagovailoa and the prospect of a second year under the beguiling McDaniel, before this season, Hill spelled out his goals for 2023.

‘I will break 2,000 yards next year bro,’ he said. ‘All I’m gonna say is, 2,000 yards was on my bucket list to get bro, before I leave this league. And y’all think the Cheetah gonna leave without doing something he promised himself he gonna do as a kid?

But could Tyreek Hill become the first wideout ever to be crowned Most Valuable Player?

Hill has 1,324 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns for the Miami Dolphins this season and is on pace for a record 2,046 receiving yards

He is not your usual receiver at under six foot, but Hill is elusive and blessed with safe hands and explosive speed

‘I got y’all baby; 2,000 yards and another Super Bowl, we getting that. Believe that,’ he added.

Hill is not your prototype receiver. At under six foot, he lacks the height and wingspan of a Moss or Rice. But he is elusive and blessed with safe hands and explosive speed.

After 12 games, Hill has 1,324 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He is on pace for a record 2,046 receiving yards, albeit with the addition of a 17th regular season game. Hill leads the league in receiving yards and is 299 yards clear of nearest rival, CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys.

With the Dolphins at 9-3 and nicely poised in a suddenly wide-open AFC, anything is possible.

Miami have the No 1 ranked offense, with head coach Mike McDaniel scheming up innovative, high-octane plays which force defenses to pick their poison.

Try to stop a well-drilled, devastating ground game, the Dolphins go through the air. Go man and they go through the air anyway, using a stout offensive line, plenty of pre-snap motion, Tagovailoa’s quick release and Hill’s lightning speed to bully and bamboozle opponents.

McDaniel spoke about Hill’s unique skillset last month. ‘Everybody knows that Tyreek is fast,’ he said. ‘And he’s a freak athlete in that way, but it takes an inordinate amount of focus and dependability, there’s just so many hours of work to be able to perform at that level.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has described his wide receiver as a ‘freak athlete’

‘Every team you play knows you’re trying to get the ball to him, so he sees creative coverages all the time, so it speaks to him.’

In October, Hill implied that Tagovailoa was the team’s true MVP, saying: ‘I’m just the energy baby. I’m the guy that brings life. I’m the guy that gets [players] up. I’m the hype man basically. ‘He’s the artist and I’m the hype man. I’m just here to support him. Without Tua, none of this would be possible. I’d still be crushing it a little bit, but I probably wouldn’t have the same numbers.’

History shows Hill may very well have a point. The NFL will likely crown another quarterback as MVP.

It depends how things shake out, but at the end of this strange, injury ravaged term, Brock Purdy, Jalen Hurts, current holder Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott and Tagovailoa could all have strong cases.

Purdy is the current bookies’ favorite. In the potentially season-defining win over the Eagles, Purdy completed 70 per cent of his passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, nor even a turnover-worthy play.

So far this season, Purdy has completed 70.2 per cent of his passes for 3,185 yards with 23 touchdowns to six interceptions. He tops the NFL in completion percentage, yards per attempt (9.6) and passer rating. Not bad for the final pick of the 2022 draft.

Yet as incredible as he may be, Purdy may not be the most valuable player on the 49ers roster. That award could go to All Pro left tackle Trent Williams, do-it-all-receiver Deebo Samuel or the equally versatile running back Christian McCaffrey.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is the current favorite to win the MVP award

Described as ‘a walk-on player in an All-Pro body’ by head coach Kyle Shanahan, McCaffrey has 16 total touchdowns (11 on the ground, five in the air, and leads the NFL with 939 rushing yards.

He is on track to yield 2,052 all-purpose yards, but does equal damage to opposing teams when not in possession.

‘Christian is the best player I’ve ever been around without the ball in his hand,’ Shanahan said. ‘Just the little things he does that are so obsessive. Like, yeah, everybody can carry out fakes, but he goes to the extreme and it’s unbelievable.’

‘Yeah, I think without a doubt,’ Shanahan said when asked about McCaffrey’s MVP credentials. ‘I know it goes to quarterbacks the majority of the time, and there’s plenty of worthy quarterbacks, but you definitely can’t say that Christian’s behind anyone. He’s as valuable in this league as anyone.’

And that is what is the award is all about.

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