Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor is almost midway through a monstrous rushing campaign, in which he’s not only the clear frontrunner for NFL Offensive Player of the Year but a bona fide NFL MVP candidate for the league’s most prestigious individual annual award.
One that has recently been reserved for elite quarterbacks during more modern league history.
Through only 8 starts, Taylor is currently the NFL’s ‘triple crown rushing leader,’ leading the league in carries (143), rushing yards
(850), and and rushing touchdowns (12).
At his current absurd 2025 pace through 8 games, AI projects him to finish with 304 carries for 1,806 total rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns. When you factor in receiving, he could finish with 30 total touchdowns.
That could potentially best even his incredible 2022 First-Team NFL All-Pro season, in which he led the league that season in carries (332), total rushing yards (1,811), and rushing touchdowns (18) during all 17 starts.
The credit of the 2025 Colts offense’s surprising and prolific success so far doesn’t all go to Taylor, as the offseason additions of starting veteran quarterback Daniel Jones has provided stability and a very good complement conversely through the air, as well as rookie tight end Tyler Warren, as a versatile playmaker over the middle of the field, the clearly cohesive and formidable Colts offensive line, among others, etc.
However, for all of the chatter—and sometimes angst, of paying a star running back big money in a passing league, Taylor has earned every bit of his $15.382M so far in 2025, especially after his prior contentious contract holdout with the Colts back in 2023 team training camp.
No non-quarterback has won the NFL MVP’s award since 2012, when former Minnesota Vikings All-Pro Adrian Peterson won the award back in 2012. During that standout season, Peterson had 348 carries for 2,097 total rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in all 16 starts.
However, Taylor is in the midst of a purely magical season—and is rightfully deserving of ending that drought:
The other star running backs to win NFL MVP over the past 25 years are Marshall Faulk (2000), Shaun Alexander (2005), and LaDainian Tomlinson (2006).
Now, Taylor still has to maintain at or near his current historic rushing pace, as well as stay healthy down the season’s stretch run, but he has to be mentioned in any serious MVP conversation league-wide right now.
He goes by J.T., but perhaps we’ll eventually be calling him ‘MVP’ when it’s all said and done.
