2021 Heisman Winner Hearing Early MVP Chants

The first two-and-half NFL seasons for 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young were not always kind to the Alabama great, which is not atypical for young, ahem, quarterbacks in the NFL.

The game started to click for Young in the second half of 2025 and the Panther QB led Carolina to a division title and a berth in the playoffs.

Young has continued to play well in the first month of his fourth season and leads the NFL in passing yards (1,268). He is also tied for third in TD passes (nine) while the Panthers average more than 30 points a game and are fourth in total offense per game.

He led Carolina to a big 32-26 win over Detroit on Sunday night in front of the home fans in Charlotte, who rewarded Young with chants of MVP in the fourth quarter.

Fans are prone to hyperbole but Young will no doubt take it as recognition of a job well done — or a job in progress, done well.

Nine Heisman winners have earned a combined 12 NFL MVP honors, most recently in 2023 when Lamar Jackson won the second of back-to-back awards.

Four games does not an MVP campaign make, but so far, so good.

If the New York Giants keep winning with Jameis Winston under center, the dean of Heisman winners in the NFL may hear the same chant, even if the process is not always pretty.

Winston helped move the Giants to 3-1 after a 36-24 win over Arizona that saw the 2013 Heisman winner throw for 250 yards and three TD passes against two interceptions.

The Giants recently traded for 2023 Heisman 10th-place finisher J.J. McCarthy so Winston may be challenged for the starting role going forward.

Kyler Murray hasn’t done a ton to warrant MVP chants just yet, but the Vikings are 4-0 nevertheless. He led Minnesota past Miami, 15-10, last week to remain unbeaten, throwing for 247 yards en route to five field goals. And jettisoning McCarthy seems to imply a solid level of confidence in the 2018 Heisman winner.

Baltimore Ravens teammates Derrick Henry and Jackson are the next most likely Heisman winners to vie for MVP honors this year.

Henry co-leads the NFL with seven rushing TDs and is fourth with 374 rushing yards. He recently passed Eric Dickerson to move into ninth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 13,392 yards and has a good chance to move into sixth by season’s end.

Jackson was the latest Heisman winner to go down with an injury on Sunday, missing the second half of the Ravens’ win over Tennessee.

In addition to Jackson, who is questionable for this weekend, the Heisman Pro infirmary currently includes quarterbacks Baker Mayfield, Caleb Williams and Marcus Mariota and receiver DeVonta Smith. None appear likely to play this weekend.

Jayden Daniels just got off the injured list and is scheduled to return to the Commanders lineup this weekend while Mariota was hurt on Sunday.

Joe Burrow is nice and healthy through four games and is fifth in league passing yards (1,171) to go with seven TD passes. He has the Bengals 2-2, a game out of first.

Second-year Jacksonville pro Travis Hunter nabbed his second year interception in the Jags win over Cincinnati, until it was called back due to a penalty elsewhere on the field.

Still, his juke of Tee Higgins on the return is worth a look.

And then there’s Fernando Mendoza, still patiently serving as Las Vegas’ backup QB as the Raiders continue to surprise with a 3-1 start. There will be no complaining from Mendoza, for sure.