The start of a new season in the NFL is still three months away. However, the futures board at popular online betting sites such as BetOnline is filled with early betting options tied to the 2021 regular season.
One of the more heavily bet futures is for most valuable player. In the past, this award has been dominated by the quarterback position. Looking at this year’s posted odds to win, it is pretty safe to say that a quarterback will once again be taking home these honors for their 2021 performance.
2021 NFL Most Valuable Player Betting Odds
- Patrick Mahomes +350
- Josh Allen +900
- Matthew Stafford +1400
- Tom Brady +1400
- Aaron Rodgers +1600
- Dak Prescott +1600
- Justin Herbert +1600
Entering just his fifth season in the league, Patrick Mahomes has already been named league MVP once. He won that award following his second year with the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2019, Mahomes took home Super Bowl MVP honors while leading the Chiefs to a world championship.
The 2020 season ended with a lopsided 31-9 loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. This probably adds even more value to Mahomes’ odds to win another league MVP trophy in 2021 from strictly a motivational standpoint.
You cannot go wrong going chalk in this NFL futures bet. However, there is still some solid value in a few players deeper down the list.
Brady and Aaron Rodgers have been perennial MVP favorites throughout their future NFL Hall of Fame careers. They have taken home a combined six MVP trophies going back to Brady’s first win in 2007. Rodgers was named MVP for his stellar play last season to complement earlier MVP performances in 2011 and 2014.
While those two veteran quarterbacks would be the most obvious plays, Matthew Stafford offers quite a bit of value as the new starter in Los Angeles for the Rams. After spending his first 12 seasons as the starting quarterback in Detroit, he now has a chance to step into the spotlight with a team that is only a few seasons removed from a Super Bowl appearance.
The Rams came up short against New England following a successful run to an NFC title in 2019. Stafford would have to be considered a strong contender if he can get Los Angeles back to the Super Bowl this season.
Josh Allen is starting to come into his own as the starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. He led the Bills to an AFC East Division title last season with much higher expectations in place for 2021.
Dak Prescott returns to the starting quarterback role for the Dallas Cowboys after missing much of last season due to injury. He also has very favorable +250 odds to win Comeback Player of the Year honors for that particular futures bet. You could double down on Dak by betting him to win MVP as well.
Justin Hebert went through some growing pains last season as a rookie quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers. If he takes another big step forward this season, he would put himself in mix to win MVP.
Players such as Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield (+3300) and Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill (+5000) are attractive options at longer odds. However, my top play for 2021 NFL MVP would still be Mahomes as the favorite. Kansas City remains the class of the AFC with him under center.
Free MVP Pick:
Patrick Mahomes +350
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