Patrick Mahomes favored to win NFL MVP in 2022

Coming off his second straight Super Bowl appearance, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the favorite to win next year’s NFL MVP award.

The 2018 Most Valuable Player was a top contender for the honor during the 2020 season, as he led his Chiefs to a 14-1 regular-season record as a starter and put up 4,740 passing yards and 38 touchdown passes.

While those numbers marked the second most yards and touchdown passes in a season for Mahomes’ accomplished career, they weren't enough to lure votes away from Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers.

With a league-high 48 touchdown passes and an average passer rating of 121.5, the leader of the 13-3 Packers ran away with the 2020 NFL MVP award. Rodgers, 37, racked up 44 first-place votes from the Associated Press, compared to Mahomes' two.  

Josh Allen a threat in the MVP race

The Chiefs superstar should be set up for another run at MVP in 2021. With star tight end Travis Kelce and speedy receiver Tyreek Hill back for another season in Kansas City, Mahomes and his offense should remain a showstopping force for the foreseeable future.

Barring injuries, Mahomes’ output will likely stay around its current pace, but he may find Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (+1300 odds) encroaching on his spotlight.

Allen, who ranked in the top five in the NFL in completion percentage, passing yards, and touchdown passes, garnered four first-place MVP votes at the end of last season.

The 24-year-old quarterback played a key part in the Bills' rise to the top of the AFC East and saw his production skyrocket with the addition of NFL receiving yards leader Stefon Diggs.

Buffalo fell just short of a Super Bowl berth when it lost to Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game, but the Bills appear primed to make another postseason run in 2021. 

Rodgers and Brady go for MVP No. 4

One player facing a bit of uncertainty in the offseason is three-time MVP winner Rodgers, who left the door open for a trade after the Packers’ shocking loss in the NFC Championship Game.

That playoff contest saw a 43-year-old Tom Brady and his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, upset Green Bay, 31-26, for a spot in Super Bowl LV.

Against Mahomes and the Chiefs on the NFL's biggest stage, Brady won his seventh Super Bowl title and fifth Super Bowl MVP.

The former New England Patriot has already made it clear he will return for at least one more season in Tampa Bay. If he can replicate last year’s performance, and get off to a stronger start in the upcoming regular season, MVP votes will likely flood in for the quadragenarian.

Another win for Brady would leave him one award shy of Peyton Manning's record five MVP trophies.

Other potential MVP candidates

Although a running back hasn't won MVP since Adrian Peterson in 2012, Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry (+3300) might be the next to claim the award for his position group.

Henry was named Offensive Player of the Year after he became the eighth running back in NFL history to surpass 2,000 rushing yards. Peterson's 2,027 yards rank fifth all-time for a single season.

Since Henry entered the league in 2016, his rushing yards total has increased each year. A second consecutive 2,000-yard rushing performance would undoubtedly merit MVP consideration.

Another player to watch is Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (+1300), who spent the first half of the 2020 season as the favorite to win MVP. New Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (+1500) could also resurrect his career as the head of Sean McVay's dynamic offense.

As for a dark horse, longtime Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (+1700) hopes to force a trade to a new team in the offseason.

Several franchises have been linked to last year's NFL passing yards leader, but for now the dual-threat star is stuck in Houston. If he can find the right fit on a new roster, Watson might end up as next season's MVP frontrunner.