Jim Brown is the only rookie to win an MVP award in NFL history, so I fully recognize how unlikely it would be for Hunter to become the first player in nearly 70 years to accomplish the feat. The expectations for Hunter appear to already be unfairly high — way above most rookies, including quarterbacks. Yet if the two-way player can pull off the NFL equivalent to his 2024 season at Colorado, he might break the paradigm of what being a league MVP looks like. He played more than 750 snaps on each side of the ball last year, unexpectedly taking home the Heisman Trophy and perhaps setting the stage for a unique NFL career.
Though we don’t yet know the Jaguars’ detailed plans for him, Hunter said he wants to play full time on both sides of the ball — and who are we to doubt him? There are more measured MVP candidates in Jacksonville, including Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr., Travon Walker and Joshua Hines-Allen, but what fun is there in that?
It might take something like 900 receiving yards and 8-10 touchdowns on offense, I figure, plus four or more interceptions (and other big plays) on defense for Hunter even to enter the MVP discussion. He could be the longest of long shots, but Hunter is the most fascinating possibility here.
