Patrick Mahomes may have fallen just short of NFL MVP honors in 2020, but the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is the early favorite to recapture the honor in 2021. William Hill Sportsbook's early MVP odds for the 2021 season show Mahomes the leading candidate to take home the honor at +500.
It's not a surprise that Mahomes is the early MVP frontrunner, given his success in the NFL over the last three years. Since becoming the Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback in 2018, Mahomes leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (114), and is second in passing yards (13,868) and passer rating (109.3) This past season, Mahomes completed a carer-high 66.3% of his passes for 4,740 yards with 38 touchdowns to just six interceptions (108.2 rating). Mahomes also led the league in passing yards per game (316.0).
So, where does the reigning MVP stack up? Aaron Rodgers is second on the list at +700, coming off the best season of his career. Rodgers had one of the greatest seasons for a quarterback in NFL history in 2020, completing 70.7% of his passes for 4,299 yards with 48 touchdowns to just five interceptions at the age of 37. A First Team All-Pro selection, Rodgers led the league in completion percentage, touchdown passes, touchdown percentage (9.1), interception percentage (1.0), and passer rating (121.5). He set a career-high in both completion percentage and touchdown passes.
Josh Allen is third on the MVP odds list at +1400 after having arguably the greatest season for a quarterback in Buffalo Bills history. Allen set the Bills' franchise record for passing yards in a season (4,544) and passing touchdowns (37), finishing with a 107.2 passer rating. He finished fourth in the league in completion percentage (69.2), fifth in passing yards, fifth in passing touchdowns, and fourth in passer rating -- while also rushing for 421 yards and eight touchdowns.
Here are the top 11 favorites for MVP honors in 2020 according to William Hill odds:
- Patrick Mahomes (+500)
- Aaron Rodgers (+700)
- Josh Allen (+1400)
- Russell Wilson (+1500)
- Lamar Jackson (+1500)
- Deshaun Watson (+1800)
- Tom Brady (+1800)
- Dak Prescott (+1800)
- Justin Herbert (+1800)
- Kyler Murray (+2000)
- Matthew Stafford (+2000)
A few other interesting names on the list include Joe Burrow at +4000, along with a couple of QBs whose starter status is a bit hazy at the moment: Carson Wentz (+4500) and Jameis Winston (+5000). And interestingly, Trevor Lawrence has 100-1 odds (+10000) as the expected Jaguars No. 1 pick.
