Tom Brady got the better of Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl, but no player has been given a better chance than the Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback to be the league’s most valuable player. Mahomes is the overwhelming betting favorite to win the 2021 NFL MVP award.

At the start of the preseason, Mahomes leads all players with +500 MVP odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. The 25-year-old has twice the odds of reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers, who is second on the list of contenders at +1000. Brady ranks third with +1200 MVP odds.

Mahomes won the 2018 MVP award in his first full season as Kansas City’s starter. He won the Super Bowl MVP award the following season. Mahomes led all quarterbacks with 316 passing yards per game and a 1.0% interception rate while finishing third in the 2020 MVP race.

Rodgers, whose status is unclear entering the upcoming season, won his third MVP award last season with a league-best 121.5 passer rating and 48 touchdowns. Brady won his fifth Super Bowl MVP award when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Mahomes’ Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but he was last a regular-season MVP contender in 2017.

Josh Allen is fourth with +1300 MVP odds. Allen finished second in the 2020 MVP race with 4,544 passing yards, 37 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. The Buffalo Bills quarterback also added 421 yards and eight scores on the ground.

Dak Prescott has +1500 MVP odds after an ankle injury ended his 2020 season in Week 5. Lamar Jackson has +1700 odds to win his second MVP award in three seasons.

Matthew Stafford (+1700), Russell Wilson (+2000) and Justin Herbert (+2000) also have 20/1 MVP odds or better.

Kyler Murray (+2300) and Baker Mayfield (+2600) are viewed as possible MVP candidates. The two quarterbacks were taken first overall in the 2018 and 2019 NFL drafts, respectively.

Ryan Tannehill (+3200) has been among the NFL’s most productive quarterbacks over the last two seasons. In 28 games with the Tennessee Titans, Tannehill has a 110.6 passer rating, 55 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.

The top 15 MVP candidates, based on the betting odds, are all quarterbacks. Running backs Christian McCaffrey (+5000) and Derrick Henry (+5000) are the only non-quarterbacks with better than 75/1 MVP odds.

Adrian Peterson was the last player who wasn’t a quarterback to win the MVP award, doing so in the 2012 season. It’s been 35 years since a defensive player was named the MVP.

Eight different players have won the last 14 MVP awards.

Patrick Mahomes (L) and Tom Brady wil go head-to-head in the Super Bowl as the Chiefs face the Buccaneers
Patrick Mahomes (L) and Tom Brady went head-to-head in the Super Bowl. GETTY IMAGES / JAMIE SQUIRE
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