The Associated Press on Thursday released the names of the five finalists for the NFL MVP award, and former Cal star Jared Goff is one of the five.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Eagles running back Saquon Barkley are the other four finalists. The winner will be named at an awards show on February 6. This award is only for regular-season performance, and Goff’s ugly game (three interceptions, one lost fumble) in the 45-31 postseason loss to the Washington Commanders occurred after the MVP voting was concluded.

Goff is unlikely to win the MVP award, which is expected to go to either Allen or Jackson. In fact, Goff is likely to finish fifth in the voting, even though he led the Lions to a tie for the best record in the NFL, at 15-2, and his passer rating of 111.8 was the second-best in the NFL (behind Jackson) and the best of his career. It will interesting to see whether Goff received any MVP votes at all.

Only one former Cal player has ever won the NFL’s MVP award: Aaron Rodgers, who won the award four times (2011, 2014, 2020, 2021), the second-most times of any player, behind only Peyton Manning’s five MVPs.

Craig Morton is the only former Cal player besides Rodgers to finish in the top five in MVP voting more than once.

Other former Cal players who finished in the top 10 in MVP voting:

Joe Kapp, second in 1969

Craig Morton, third in 1977, and fifth in 1981

Steve Bartkowski, third in 1980

Aaron Rodgers, fifth in 2016

Chuck Muncie, tied for sixth in 1981

AP also released the names of the finalists in seven other categories: Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year.

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