Like the regular season MVP Award, the Super Bowl MVP is often given to quarterbacks, as signal callers have won the award on 32 occasions.
But there have been quite a few times where players who aren't under center are deemed to have been the deciding factor in the biggest game of the year.
Here's a list of all the non-quarterbacks to win Super Bowl MVP.
Non-Quarterbacks to win Super Bowl MVP
Season | Name | Team | Position |
2025 | Kenneth Walker III | Seattle Seahawks | Running Back |
2021 | Cooper Kupp | Los Angeles Rams | Wide receiver |
2018 | Julian Edelman | New England Patriots | Wide receiver |
2015 | Von Miller | Denver Broncos | Edge rusher |
2013 | Malcolm Smith | Seattle Seahawks | Linebacker |
2008 | Santonio Holmes | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wide receiver |
2005 | Hines Ward | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wide receiver |
2004 | Deion Branch | New England Patriots | Wide receiver |
2002 | Dexter Jackson | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Safety |
2000 | Ray Lewis | Baltimore Ravens | Linebacker |
1997 | Terrell Davis | Denver Broncos | Running back |
1996 | Desmond Howard | Green Bay Packers | Kick/punt returner |
1995 | Larry Brown | Dallas Cowboys | Cornerback |
1993 | Emmitt Smith | Dallas Cowboys | Running back |
1990 | Ottis Anderson | New York Giants | Running back |
1988 | Jerry Rice | San Francisco 49ers | Wide receiver |
1985 | Richard Dent | Chicago Bears | Defensive end |
1983 | Marcus Allen | Los Angeles Raiders | Running back |
1982 | John Riggins | Washington Redskins | Running back |
1977 | Randy White, Harvey Martin | Dallas Cowboys | Defensive end, defensive tackle |
1976 | Fred Biletnikoff | Oakland Raiders | Wide receiver |
1975 | Lynn Swann | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wide receiver |
1974 | Franco Harris | Pittsburgh Steelers | Running back |
1973 | Larry Csonka | Miami Dolphins | Running back |
1972 | Jake Scott | Miami Dolphins | Safety |
1970 | Chuck Howley | Dallas Cowboys | Linebacker |
Aside from quarterbacks, the most common positions to win Super Bowl MVP are wide receivers (8) and running backs (7). Five of the seven most recent non-QBs to win the award were receivers.
The most recent such award winner was Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp, who caught eight passes for 92 yards and two scores in his team's 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Kupp caught the game-winning score with less than 90 seconds left in the game.
New England Patriots WR Julian Edelman won the award in Super Bowl LIII despite not scoring a TD, just as Fred Biletnikoff did with the Oakland Raiders in XI.
Santonio Holmes, the Pittsburgh Steelers WR who won Super Bowl MVP 10 years before Edelman, earned it thanks to nine catches, 131 yards, and the game-winning score with 35 seconds left against the Arizona Cardinals. Steelers WR Hines Ward won MVP in Super Bowl XL as he caught the game-winner on a trick play, catching an Antwaan Randle El pass midway through the final quarter against the Seattle Seahawks.
The first receiver to win Super Bowl MVP was Lynn Swann in the 1975 season's title game, as he caught four passes for 161 yards and a TD that put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. Fellow WR Biletnikoff won it the following season.
Larry Csonka of the Miami Dolphins was the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP, doing so in the 1973 season's title game with 33 carries, 145 yards, and two scores in a 24-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Steelers RB Franco Harris won it the next season against the Vikings, carrying the ball 34 times for 158 yards and the first TD of the game.
John Riggins (Washington) and Marcus Allen (Oakland) were the next RBs to win the award, doing it in back-to-back years. Riggins had 38 carries for 166 yards and the game-winning TD against the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII, and Allen had 20 carries for 191 yards and two TDs to beat Washington in Super Bowl XVIII.
New York Giants RB Ottis Anderson and Dallas Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith also won the award. Anderson's third-quarter TD gave his team the lead over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV, and Smith had 30 carries for 132 yards and two scores against the Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII.
Terrell Davis of the Denver Broncos was the most recent RB to win the award. He had 30 carries, 157 yards, and three TDs - including the game-winner - in Super Bowl XXXII against the Green Bay Packers.
The only special teams player to win Super Bowl MVP was Packers kick/punt returner Desmond Howard, who returned four kicks for 154 yards and the final TD of the game in the 1996 season's championship contest.
A handful of defensive players have won the award, with the most recent being Denver Broncos edge rusher Von Miller. In Denver's 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in the 2015 season, Miller had 2.5 sacks, six total tackles, two QB hits, one pass defended, and two forced fumbles.
Baltimore Ravens legendary linebacker Ray Lewis became just the second of three off-ball LBs to win the award. He did it in the 2000 season, making five tackles and defending four passes in his team's 34-7 win over the New York Giants.
The 1977 season's title matchup was the only time two players shared the game's MVP award. Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Randy White had a single sack while teammate and fellow DL Harvey Martin had two, and the pair were key in forcing Denver into a whopping eight turnovers in the game.
The first-ever non-QB to win Super Bowl MVP was Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley. He is the only player to play for the losing team and win Super Bowl MVP. He did so in the 1970 season when he intercepted Baltimore Colts QB Johnny Unitas twice in a 16-13 Colts win.
