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Top Candidates



Drew Brees: Despite being 40 years old Drew Brees is my front runner for 2020 MVP. He was 2nd place last year as Mahomes had an all-time great season. While Mahomes has now lost Kareem Hunt and potentially Tyreek Hill, Drew Brees still has top receiver Micheal Thomas and the Saints brought in a serious threat at tight end in Jared Cook. Brees did lose running back Mark Ingram but Alvin Kamara can easily carry that load. The one knock on Drew Brees would have to be the Saints difficult schedule. Brees will face off against 6 teams that made the playoffs last year including 4 in the first 4 weeks. Brees will also have to face tough non-playoff teams like the Titans and 49ers. If Drew Brees is able to stay healthy and put up the numbers we expect from him he is a strong candidate.



Patrick Mahomes: We all know Patrick Mahomes is a very good quarterback but this season will give him an opportunity to prove himself as a great quarterback. Mahomes had Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce alongside him on offense, now that ⅔’s of that lineup could be gone Mahomes has a chance to prove that as long as he is on the offense everything will be fine. Mahomes will also have a chance to play with the speedy rookie out of Georgia Mecole Hardman so I expect him to have a strong 3rd season. The Chiefs schedule in 2020 is no cake walk, with Mahomes playing 7 teams who made last year’s playoffs and difficult opponents like the Packers, Titans, and Vikings. The Chiefs schedule in 2020 will show us if Mahomes is a generational talent or a guy who peaked too early



Andrew Luck: Now, Luck’s 2020 campaign relies heavily on his health. Luck came back last year and showed his shoulder was fine but now Luck is missing OTAs and MiniCamp with a calf injury. When he is 100% Andrew Luck is an elite quarterback. He has the weapons on offense to accomplish this with T.Y Hilton, Eric Ebron, and Ohio State rookie Parris Campell. Now, while I do feel Luck is a serious contender for MVP Brees and Mahomes are miles ahead of him and the rest of the competition. One advantage Luck holds is the easiest schedule. Luck plays 5 teams that were in the 2019 playoffs but will also have big games against teams like the Steelers and Raiders. If Luck can put up numbers in games like that we may see him making an acceptance speech February 1st.



Dark Horses



Aaron Rodgers: Yes, I know that every year people talk about how Rodgers will win MVP and Green Bay will be legit, but he and the Packers ultimately disappoint. This relies heavily on Rodgers health as he played injured for a large partition of last season and missed almost the entire 2017 season. Rodgers has a new offensive-minded head coach in former Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, Devante Adams looks on pace to have a breakout season and his defense has gotten a solid boost with first-round picks Rashan Gary and Darnell Savage. Looking at the Packers schedule they will see five playoff teams as well as other solid opponents like the Panthers and 49ers. At the end of the day, Aaron Rodgers super bowl window in Green Bay looks to be closing quickly and this season may be one of his last chances to do what Favre never could, bring two Lombardi’s back to the legendary coaches franchise.



Philip Rivers: For his entire career Rivers has put up solid numbers but his lack of success in the playoffs is why some people feel he won’t make the trip to Canton, Ohio. Rivers is currently playing with one of the best teams he has ever been on and if the Chargers has managed to get by the Patriots last year they would have had a great shot at a super bowl. If Rivers can put up numbers similar to his 4,300 yards 32 touchdown performance last year in addition to a strong regular season record Rivers could make a run at MVP. The Chargers will play 5 teams that made last year’s playoffs and teams like the Steelers and Packers who should still be formattable opponents. I would say that if Rivers is able to improve on his numbers from last year in the slightest plus a 12-4 or higher record from the Chargers he has a strong shot at MVP but he would, of course, need some help from Mahomes and Brees as would all of the remaining candidates.



Aaron Donald: Aaron Donald is beginning to look at a generational talent in Los Angles, making the Pro-Bowl each of his first 5 seasons plus First-Team All-Pro selections his last 4. Donald, of course, had a monster 20.5 sacks in 2018 just 2 shy of Micheal Strahan’s record. If Donald could break Straihan’s 22.5 sack record I think it would be tough to keep him out of the MVP race. Now, 22.5 sacks in a season is by no means an easy task but if anyone in the NFL would be up for it, it would have to be Aaron Donald. The Rams will play 6 teams who made last years playoffs as well as tough opponents like the Browns and Steelers. Donald has proved that his skill often times trumps that of the offensive lineman hoping to contain him. In my book, Donald is practically a lock for defensive player of the year so its not crazy to think he can make a run at MVP.



Khalil Mack: The reason I said Donald was “practically a lock for defensive player of the year” and not a lock is because Khalil Mack also plays in the NFL. After being traded from the Raiders to the Bears before the start of the 2018 season Mack played wonderfully as he excelled on a defense featuring talents like Akeem Hicks, Kyle Fuller, Leonard Floyd, Roquan Smith, and Eddie Jackson. Now the Bears have potentially made their defense even better by replacing Adrian Amos with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Because of this, it is impossible for opposing offenses to divert the needed amount of attention to Khalil Mack. Mack is a front runner for MVP along with Donald but just like Donald, I think Mack could break 22.5 sacks and if he does he might just be named Most Valuable Player.



Long Shots



Shaqon Barkley: Barkley looks to be one of the top running backs in the league this season with Todd Gurley dealing with knee issues. After the trade of Odell Beckham to Cleveland Barkley is one of few weapons on the Giants offense. This will likely result in Barkley getting a crazy amount of touches. This can result in Barkley putting up the stats needed to be in the MVP conversation or could result in the running back being overworked and injured. The toughest part of making a case for Shaquon Barkley to win MVP is the lack of success that Giants will likely see this season.



Jared Goff: After a disappointing rookie season former number one pick Jared Goff has seemed to finally realize his potential. Unfortunately for Goff, the season ended in disappointment with a 13-3 Super Bowl loss where Goff and his offense faltered. If Goff can continue to improve on the pace he has been on and top his Pro-Bowl season from last year he could be an MVP candidate. One big loss Jared Goff will likely have to deal with this season is the issues Todd Gurley may continue to have with his knee. Aside from that, the Rams still have Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods plus Cooper Kupp returning from his torn ACL. An important part of making your MVP case is your team’s success and looking at the Rams schedule, they will play 6 playoff teams and tough opponents like the Browns and Steelers. So a second consecutive 1st round bye may be tough for Goff to get.



Baker Mayfield: Now I know you may turn your nose up at this pick, but Mahomes was also able to win MVP in his second season. Mayfield, of course, had an amazing rookie season and should definitely be able to improve on it with Kareem Hunt and Odell Beckham joining his offense. The Browns are supposed to be a team on the rise this year and if they could live up to their high expectations with Baker Mayfield leading the charge he could be in consideration for MVP. The big knock on Mayfield would have to be his age and it’s unlikely that he will progress into an MVP candidate this early in his career but we did see Patrick Mahomes do it without playing as many games as Mayfield did in the previous season so, I guess you never know