A few years ago, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton won the league's MVP award. Could the organization have another player in the mix for that very award as early as next year? With several franchise quarterbacks nearing retirement (Brady, Brees, Rivers, Roethlisberger, etc.) there could be room for Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey to enter the discussion.

Here are five reasons the Panthers star back could find himself in the MVP conversation:

1. It could be his team

As the days go by, it harder and harder to get a grasp on what the Panthers front office will want to do about Cam Newton. McCaffrey has been an extremely valuable piece to the Carolina offense since he entered the league and if Newton is dealt, it's time for him to make this team his. He will be viewed as the go-to leader with other veterans, such as Greg Olsen and Luke Kuechly no longer with the team.

2. Crazy numbers

This past season, McCaffrey became the third player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and collect 1,000 yards receiving, joining Roger Craig (1985) and Marshall Faulk (1999). He has posted back to back 1,000 yard seasons on the ground and you should anticipate that happening again regardless of what happens with Newton. The man will get his numbers and at the end of the day, that's what the MVP voters salivate over.

3. Versatility

There's no question about it. This is what makes McCaffrey so unique and makes him such a rarity compared to most NFL backs. He's just as good in the passing game as he is in the run game. Many backs have trouble running routes, finding gaps in the defense, help pick up blitzes in pass protection - not McCaffrey. He's one of the very few that can do it all and do it at a very high level.

4. Value

Piggybacking off of being a versatile player, he is extremely valuable to the Panthers offense. Behind him are two inexperienced backs in Reggie Bonnafon and Jordan Scarlett. Carolina has him involved in nearly every aspect of the offense and without him on the field, it's a completely different unit. In 2019, he averaged a touchdown every 21.2 touches, which is insane.

5. Durability

I know this is captain obvious paging through, but if you want to have a chance to win an award like the NFL's MVP, you must be able to withstand the marathon of the regular season. In his first three years of his professional career, McCaffrey has played in 48 games, making 42 starts and has not missed a single game thus far. You would expect that a guy that gets as many touches as McCaffrey would miss some time here and there due to being a little banged up. To this point, he has shown that durability is no issue for him, which only means one thing - keep feeding him.

There's a lot of time between now and the first regular season game, but do you think McCaffrey can win the NFL MVP award? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!