The schedule for the 2021/22 NFL season has finally been unveiled, and fans are now eagerly talking about what players are likely to be competing for the title of MVP.
The current NFL MVP is Aaron Rodgers, who won it for the third time, drawing level with Tom Brady, following a stellar season for the Green Bay Packers.
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The award will, more often than not, go to a quarterback or, on occasion, a running back. With that in mind, which players are likely to be named MVP in the upcoming season?
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes will likely have something to prove in the 2021-2022 NFL season.
With the disappointing performance that was delivered by the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, Mahomes has been tipped to bounce back strongly, having previously been awarded the NFL MVP during his second season when he threw for more than 5,000 yards.
Mahomes also threw as many as 50 touchdowns, completing no less than 66% of all his passes, and will likely have to repeat such a performance if he really wants to take home the award again for the new season. To help, the Chiefs invested heavily in their offensive line – a unit which let Mahomes down terribly in the big game back in Feburary.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady has no fewer than three NFL MVP awards to his name already and will be looking to claim his fourth for the 2021-2022 season.
In the event that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star is able to take home the award again, he would move just one behind the record held by Peyton Manning.
A fourth victory would also make Brady the oldest player to win the NFL MVP award. If Brady maintains his current aim to not retire until he is 50 years old, he could end up tying with the legendary Manning. As he gets older, his feats in the game only continue to look more and more impressive.
Aaron Rodgers
The Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers seem to be all anyone has been talking about during the NFL offseason.
With Rodgers having finished his third NFL MVP season in disappointing fashion by falling to Brady’s Bucs in the NFC Championship game, rumors have been swirling that Rodgers is unhappy with the Packers’ front office and that he may be pushing for a trade away from Green Bay.
Provided that he remains with the Packers and delivers a season that is as impressive as his last, Rodgers will be a prime candidate for a second straight NFL MVP award. He is hotly tipped to again show his team why he won that award last season and why the team is so lucky to have him.
Justin Herbert
Justin Herbert has finished up a truly impressive season as a rookie, having been chosen as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and throwing for 4,336 passing yards, with a completion percentage of 66.6%, and 31 touchdowns.
If the Los Angeles Chargers find themselves in the playoff mix come the final few weeks of the season, the play of Herbert may be a big reason as to why and if so, that may put him in the running for the award this season.
Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson has been an absolute star in his short time in the league. Since being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2018, Jackson has won a unanimous MVP award from 2019 along with a Pro-Bowl selection and a handful of NFL records.
Last season he threw for over 2,757 yards and added 1,005 yards rushing to that total. He finished the season with 26 passing TDs and 9 INTs. On the ground he added 7 more TDs and fumbled the ball 10 times, he lost only four of those fumbles. The Ravens OL allowed him to be sacked almost 30 times last season, which will need to improve drastically.
He is the only QB to have back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons and has the skill to do it again. With Jackson under center, the Ravens should be in playoff contention. If he stays healthy throughout the season there is no reason to not include Lamar in the MVP conversation.
Derrick Henry
Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry could be the first NFL running back to take home the NFL MVP award since the 2012 NFL season, when Adrian Peterson achieved that feat with the Minnesota Vikings.
Quarterbacks have been dominating ever since, and it can be argued that Henry ought to have achieved this feat last season, particularly when comparisons are made to the Peterson stats from nine years ago – rushing for 2,097 yards for 12 touchdowns in a total of 348 carries during his winning season.
In comparison, Henry rushed 2,027 yards for 17 rushing touchdowns from 378 carries last season as he continues to be the main focal point of the Tennessee offense.
Peterson’s rushing yards average in 2012 was 131.1, while Henry’s average last season was 126.7, leading many to wonder what non-quarterbacks actually need to do to take home the award.
Jalen Hurts
The Philadelphia Eagles also did not have many expectations placed on them in 2021. They missed last year’s playoffs and played in a very weak NFC East, while also dealing with a number of injuries on the offensive line and a weak performance from quarterback Carson Wentz, who has since been traded to Indianapolis.
In his place is second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts, a former Oklahoma and Alabama star who has comparatively very low expectations on him.
In the three full games he played last season, Hurts was able to pass for 847 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 238 yards with a score.
Over a 17-game season of the kind he will play this year, Hurts could be on track for stats that would make him a surprise MVP candidate.
