Following the Houston Texans’ renaissance of a 2023 season, hopes and hype are high in Houston.

So too is the opportunity for more history.

As the team strives to take a step further and perhaps advance to the franchise’s first Super Bowl, quarterback C.J. Stroud will lead the way. A trendy preseason pick to win AP NFL Most Valuable Player, Stroud would make history if he was to collect that hardware.

No Offensive Rookie of the Year has won the MVP in his second season since a Houston legend did it in 1979. That was Hall of Famer Earl Campbell, and he was a Houston Oiler. Should Stroud win the MVP for the 2024 campaign, he would be the first Texans player to garner the accolade.

Entering the season, seven franchises still have not had a player win NFL MVP.

Here’s a breakdown thanks to NFL Research identifying each NFL club that’s yet to celebrate an MVP and who the top candidates just might be:

Murray’s fully healthy, settled into Drew Petzing’s offense and a groundswell of MVP talk has already begun. There aren’t many in the league with the overall talent and skill set of the 2019 No. 1 overall pick. If he reclaims his Pro Bowl form and takes it a step further, realizing his all-world potential and leading the Cardinals to success, Murray could make some MVP noise. Not since Carson Palmer in 2015 has a Cardinals player finished in the MVP’s top-five voting, so a Murray MVP campaign would certainly be something to behold. The Bills’ Josh Allen and Murray are the only two players in NFL history to average 240-plus yards passing per game and 35-plus yards rushing, per NFL Research. If Murray, who’s likely to be buoyed by the addition of receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., meshes his old form with his new offense, a history-making campaign could be in the cards.