Last year, Patrick Mahomes was the consensus preseason favorite to be named MVP of the 2024 NFL season, with Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow and Jordan Love rounding out the top five in odds. Lamar Jackson sat sixth in preseason MVP odds, but he and Allen battled it out all season for the award, with the Bills quarterback taking home the trophy despite Jackson's historic passing season. Allen's 378-352 point edge in the voting made the MVP race the closest among the major awards in 2024.

After the injury to J.J. McCarthy, I made a small play on Sam Darnold to win MVP at +20000 odds, and for much of the season he did everything he could to work his way into the conversation. When all was said and done, he did earn a few MVP votes, which is enough for me to consider it a smart lottery ticket in retrospect.

Below, we'll try to figure out both the next Josh Allen and Sam Darnold, highlighting the best bets to win 2025 NFL MVP in our tiered rankings while also looking for a few fun lottery tickets to back. The lists will focus mainly on quarterbacks, but it's worth noting Darnold wasn't even the best longshot result last year, as Saquon Barkley finished third in MVP voting. Barkley is +5000 to win MVP this year at DraftKings, while the five clear favorites include Allen (+550), Lamar Jackson (+550), Joe Burrow (+650), Mahomes (+700) and Jayden Daniels (+750). 

So who gets the top spot as the best MVP bet this season? And which longshots are worth considering, even at greater than +10000 odds? ... Join SportsLine here to see R.J. White's NFL MVP best bet rankings for 2025!