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We are now fully prepared for the 2021 NFL season after Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers earned his third career NFL MVP award. While Green Bay did not make it to the big game, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady vastly outplayed former league MVP Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV.
With Week 1 of the 2021 season slated to take place here soon, we look at the top-10 NFL MVP candidates for the season.
Click here for our updated NFL power rankings
2021 NFL MVP: Top-five favorites
- Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: What this dude continues to do is just amazing. Rodgers, 37, put up 4,299 yards with 48 touchdowns against a mere five interceptions a season ago. It was a career-best performance from the future first ballot Hall of Famer. Sure there’s some drama behind the scenes between Rodgers and his Packers after a disappointing playoff finish, but he’s going to run it back as a top NFL MVP candidate in 2021. Should the team perform well in the regular season once again, he’ll be right up there.
- Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Coming off his seventh Super Bowl title (that’s a real thing) and his fifth Super Bowl MVP award (also a real thing), Tom Terrific is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. Now 44 years old, the greatest of all-time tallied 4,633 passing yards with 40 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. It was his best single-season performance since the Patriots went undefeated back in 2007. Boasting elite-level skill-position talent around him, Brady will be a top candidate for this individual award in 2021.
- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: Ugh. That’s not the way Mahomes wanted to end the 2020 season. In fact, the former NFL MVP put up his worst statistical game in the NFL in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LV loss to Tampa Bay. He threw two interceptions without a touchdown in a 31-9 loss. In no way does this change just how dynamic the game’s most-talented quarterback has been in three seasons as a starter. In fact, Mahomes has tallied 120 total touchdowns against 24 interceptions in 46 career starts. As long as he’s healthy, this Texas Tech product will remain atop NFL MVP odds each year.
- Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: This is how good Russell Wilson is. He was still able to put up 40 touchdown passes against 13 interceptions a season ago despite being sacked 47 times. It’s led to some questions about whether the former Super Bowl quarterback is happy in the Pacific Northwest. If the Seahawks are able to actually provide a solid offensive line in front of Wilson this season, he will be a top NFL MVP candidate.
Related: Are the Seattle Seahawks a legit Super Bowl contender?
- Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: The progression we’ve seen from Allen since the Bills made him a top-seven pick back in 2018 has been nothing short of extraordinary. Not only did Allen lead Buffalo to the AFC Championship Game in 2020, he put up one of the most absurd stat lines we’ve seen from a quarterback in recent memory. Allen tallied nearly 5,000 total yards to go with 45 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. After signing a huge contract extension, the expectation here is that Allen will play at an NFL MVP level in 2021.
2021 NFL MVP odds: Underrated options
- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: This former first-round pick won the award going away as a sophomore in 2019. Despite some early struggles last season, Jackson continued to prove his worth as an elite-level quarterback. The former Louisville standout tallied his second consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season to go with 33 total touchdowns against nine interceptions. With Baltimore as perennial title contenders, his status as an NFL MVP candidate isn’t going to go away any time soon. Of course, that’s dependent on Jackson remaining on the field after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: Coming off a devastating ankle injury, there’s no telling how Prescott is going to respond in 2021. Heck, there’s no guarantee that he will be on the field Week 1 after suffering a shoulder injury during training camp. If healthy, Prescott will be a top-end NFL MVP candidate.
Related: Where does Dak Prescott stand among our top-100 NFL players?
2021 NFL MVP odds: Candidates no one is talking about
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: What Herbert did as a rookie last season was nothing short of amazing. Existing under a head coach in Anthony Lynn who was in over his head, the Oregon product tallied 4,600 total yards to go with 36 total touchdowns against 10 interceptions. It was among the best rookie performances from a quarterback in recent history. It will also have Herbert as a legit NFL MVP candidate moving forward.
- Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans: The two-time reigning NFL rushing champion, Henry has been on an historical pace since the start of the 2019 season. That span has seen him gain 3,887 total yards and 35 touchdowns in just 31 games. The last running back to win NFL MVP was Adrian Peterson. There’s a chance Henry makes his name known in this race moving forward in 2021.
- Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: Acquired from the Detroit Lions in a blockbuster trade, we now need to start talking about Stafford when it comes to 2021 NFL MVP odds. He’s going to be on a team contending for a conference title after seeing his talent wasted in Detroit over the past dozen seasons. Based on the numbers we’ve seen Stafford put up during that span, there’s every reason to believe he can compete for the top individual honor in the NFL.
When will the 2021 NFL MVP be announced?
Typically, the NFL MVP is announced at an awards show the day before the Super Bowl. That will, once again by the case with the league’s top individual honor being announced before Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 4, 2022.