Does Aaron Rodgers really deserve to be 2021 NFL MVP?

Aaron Rodgers has emerged as a top NFL MVP favorite for the 2021 season. That would mark back-to-back MVP awards for the Green Bay Packers star. It would, also, make it hard for the team to justify moving on from him in the offseason.

But there is a conversation to be had about whether Rodgers is deserving of the award in general. And this conversation has nothing to do with anything he has said or done off the field. Instead, it has to do with his stats and those of others.

Is Aaron Rodgers a deserving NFL MVP?

Minnesota Vikings v Green Bay Packers

Rodgers enters Week 18 ranked ninth in the NFL with 3,977 yards. He is tied for third in touchdowns with 35. Fans must remember that he, also, missed one game with COVID and returned with a fractured toe.

The Packers secured another 13-3 season, and Rodgers was the main reason why. His value to the Packers is, well, invaluable.

But Rodgers does not play in a vacuum. There are others in the league with far better numbers. Tom Brady is the first name that comes to mind. He leads the NFL in passing yards with 4,990 and is also first in passing touchdowns with 40.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 12-4, and Brady is doing all of this at the age of 44. It is hard to simply compare stats and give Rodgers the edge here. Brady has arguably dealt with more adversity and drama on offense, while Rodgers has had the reliable Davante Adams to throw to all year.

Matthew Stafford is another quarterback who may receive MVP votes after the way he has shown up for Los Angeles and elevated everyone around him. He is second behind Brady in yards and touchdowns and has turned Cooper Kupp into a legendary receiver.

The Rams knew they needed an upgrade over Jared Goff to take that next step. Stafford throwing for 4,648 yards and 38 touchdowns seems to prove his value to that franchise.

Kupp and Jonathan Taylor are two other players who may receive MVP consideration. However, the award has routinely gone to quarterbacks for the last decade and should again for the 2021 season.

That leaves Brady, Rodgers, and Stafford as the top options. Rodgers' win total and his four interceptions all year give him an edge. Brady may just find an advantage because of the age at which he is doing all of this.

The question here is if Rodgers is deserving of being the NFL MVP. Yes, he has shown enough to warrant that honor and seeing how the Packers did with Jordan Love under center drives that point home even further.

There is no real wrong answer at MVP, especially if it comes down to Brady and Rodgers. Both are deserving, and the fact that Rodgers put up his stats when missing one game and dealing with a painful injury only boosts his resume.

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