Leading Contenders for The NFL’s MVP Award This Season

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the NFL dates all the way back to 1938. It rewards the standout player across the regular season in the league.

Here is a look at the leading contenders for the award in 2022 ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)

Since arriving in the NFL in 2018, Josh Allen has consistently been one of the leading quarterbacks. The former first-round pick has scored 46 passing touchdowns in that period, while he has recorded 14,114 passing yards.

Allen was in the conversation for the MVP award last season, as he helped his side finish with a 11-6 record and their second consecutive divisional title. If he continues to improve, he could put himself a long way clear of his rivals at his position in 2022.

Josh Allen

21/25
307 yards
5 TDs

7 drives, 7 touchdowns for #BillsMafia. pic.twitter.com/78VUDRuZo9

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 16, 2022

Bills fans are very optimistic about their chances of lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the upcoming season. As of the 22nd of August, they are +600 with Betway in the Super Bowl betting. A lot of their hopes rest on Allen who has the ability and experience now to take them all the way.

Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes won the MVP award in his first full season in the NFL. He then went on to be named the Super Bowl MVP after his side’s success in 2020 against the San Francisco 49ers.

Mahomes has scored over 25 passing touchdowns in each of his four full campaigns in the NFL. In 2021, he ended the year with 37 passing touchdowns. He also had his best completion record, with 436 completed passes, at a successful percentage of 66.3%.

The Chiefs QB is considered by many pundits as the best player in the NFL right now. He is able to do things no other player is capable of with the ball in his hands. Another strong campaign is expected from the first-round pick, and it could lead to the second MVP award of his career.

Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Tom Brady returns to Bucs facility, will practice on Monday, per @RapSheet + @TomPelisserohttps://t.co/g9wUPE3YnO pic.twitter.com/pilF3IwvHg

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) August 22, 2022

Three-time MVP winner Tom Brady made a U-turn on his exit from the Buccaneers earlier this year. He will now be 45 when he returns to the gridiron for a competitive game. In a statement from the player, he said he felt he still had a lot to offer, and it was wrong to walk away when he did.

Last season, Brady threw for the most passing yards across the year than he had in any other regular season. He clocked up 5,316 yards in the air, with 485 completions from 719 attempts. His side was eventually beaten by the Rams in the playoffs.

With a talented group of players to throw to in Tampa Bay, Brady will be bidding to do something similar this season. The Bucs remain the leading team in the NFC South and with their future Hall of Famer returning for another campaign, they will be considered as strong Super Bowl contenders.

Brady won the MVP award in 2007, 2010 and 2017 with the Patriots. He is generally considered the greatest QB to ever play in the league. A fourth MVP at his age could just cement his place at the top of the all-time list.

Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)

Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is the winner of the last two MVP trophies. Like Brady, Rodgers is also playing at the top of his game at an age where most QBs tend to show a decline in their performances. In order to commit to the Packers, he signed a contract extension earlier this year which keeps him at the franchise for another three years.

Rodgers hardly put a foot wrong last season on the field. He was the most consistent of all the 32+ starting quarterbacks. He had 37 touchdowns, a completion rate of 68.9% and he threw just four interceptions across his 16 games. Unfortunately for the QB, his side fell to the 49ers in the playoffs.

Only one player in history has been able to win three consecutive MVP awards and that was Brett Favre in 1997. Rodgers has broken many of Favre’s records in Green Bay and, should he match the NFL Hall of Fame star, it would be very fitting.

The new NFL season begins on September 9 when the defending champions, the Los Angeles Rams, take on the Buffalo Bills. All of the above four players will be hoping to get their teams off to a successful start.