The NFL MVP award is not one that defensive players have much of a shot at. Only two players in the history of the league from the defensive side of the ball have won it. Minnesota Vikings defensive end Alan Page won it in 1971, and then the New York Giants' great linebacker Lawrence Taylor took home the trophy in 1986.
Since then, the award has gone to either a quarterback or a running back, and quarterbacks have exclusively dominated the voting since 2012, when Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was the running back honored.
But what if the voters thought out of the box for once and gave it to a non-quarterback this season? Kevin Patra of NFL.com recently listed one candidate from each NFC team, other than a quarterback, who could garner consideration
this season.
For the Giants, Patra picked second-year linebacker Abdul Carter.
As a rookie, Carter might have netted just four sacks, but he led Big Blue with 72 QB pressures -- seventh-most in the league, per NGS -- and a 15.4 percent QB pressure rate. The edge rusher showed improvement down the stretch, logging 3.5 of his four sacks in the final five weeks. With a strong get-off and more seasoning, Carter should put up bigger numbers in 2026. The Giants upgraded the surroundings for new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, which should provide more opportunities for Carter to cause havoc on a consistent basis after ebbs and flows last season.
Carter had several things going against him last season. First, he was used all over the field and did not get his sea legs until well into the season. Second, he was on a horrible defense that appeared to be undermanned and disorganized under coordinator Shane Bowen.
Once Bowen was fired and linebackers coach Charlie Bullen took over, the defense began to normalize, and Carter was a big reason for that.
In the Giants' final four games of 2025, they held their opponents under 17 points three times and recorded two turnovers in each of those games.
With Bullen still on board as Carter's position coach and more stability in both the scheme and the game plan, Carter should flourish in 2026. Add in that there are new players alongside him in Tremaine Edmunds and rookie Arvell Reese, and Carter could be that MVP-level player.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants' Abdul Carter named non-QB candidate for NFL MVP
