Let’s be honest, the last two years have been boring in terms of MVP. Aaron Rodgers has obviously played at a tremendous level, but the NFL could get a bit more creative. We all want to see some new superstars emerge, and fortunately, there’s no better year for this to happen.
This Free Agency has likely been the greatest NFL free agency of all time. Elite-level players were moving left and right like it’s the NBA. With the majority of the free agents signed on their new teams, let’s evaluate which players will take advantage and emerge as MVP candidates
First, though, we must understand that the candidates are darkhorse. Thus, I am going to exclude the top 7 candidates for MVP from this list. These are:
- Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bill
- Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
- Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
- Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
- Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
- Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Now, let’s see which players I have as potential darkhorse candidates:
1. Jamies Winston, QB, New Orleans Saints
I cannot think of any player that has a better opportunity for a comeback season than Jameis Winston. The Saints went all out this offseason, drafting Chris Olave and signing Jarvis Landry. Oh, and did you think I forgot? Michael Thomas is back. How could Jamies Winston not succeed? Everyone loves to bring up the 30 INT year but forgets he threw over 5,000 yards and 33 TDs that year. That puts Jameis Winston in company with guys like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Patrick Mahomes as the only few players to throw 5,000 yards in a season. And in the 7 starts he had last year, he threw for 14 TDs and only 3 interceptions. He’s clearly improved.
Jameis Winston is a very inconsistent player. But when he’s balling… He’s BALLING. Mix in all those receivers with Alvin Kamara and an elite offensive line, and Jamies is in a prime position to lead a high-powered offense. And with that defense that has been thriving for years, the Saints look like a playoff lock in the weak NFC. The whole season is in the hands of Jamies Winston for New Orleans. Let’s see how he performs under pressure…
2. Derek Carr, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
Why wouldn’t you put Derek Carr in this conversation? We are all aware of the outstanding season he had in 2016, and many believe that he can never return to that level. But in terms of being valuable, Derek Carr is up there with some of the best QBs in the league. Last season, Carr led a team that suffered a loss in Head Coach, Henry Rugg’s getting a DUI and killing someone, and Damon Arnette being arrested. Yet, Carr continuously stay poised and took the same team to the playoffs, where they were yards away from beating the AFC champions.
And he just happens to have the best receiver in football on his team now. Who he also happened to play with at Fresno State. Derek Carr and Davante Adams will be one of the league’s best QB-WR duos to watch. Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs, and a defense that traded for Chandler Jones are nothing to mess with either. This team will be on the map this year. But to win MVP, Carr will need to stand out more than other candidates. In a division with Mahomes, Herbert, and Wilson, it is not ridiculous to say that the QB that performs the best in the AFC West will be the MVP. I think Carr is a prime candidate to do it.
The Raiders are also playing the underdog story this year. Not only are they last in odds to win the AFC West, but the odds are considerably far off from all other teams. Respect the Raiders and watch out for Carr.
3. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
Do the Dolphins have the best offense in football? Well, just like the Saints, it will all come down to the play of their QB. Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, Raheem Mostert, Mike Gesicki, and an offensive line solidified with Terron Armstead this past offseason makes the Dolphins an offense that no one is excited to match up with. Tua’s 2021 season was not overwhelming by any means, but he showed flashes of potential that gives him the case to be a darkhorse MVP candidate.
While Tyreek Hill is evidently a generational talent, it took top-tier playcalling from Andy Reid to make Hill play as the best version of himself. Mike McDaniels is no Andy Reid, but he knows how to get creative, which Miami will need with two of the fastest receivers in football. Tua can feed off of great playcalling, just like we saw in Alabama under Nick Saban. The team is coming off a very average 9-8 year, but there isn’t much stopping them from hitting on a playoff run. They likely won’t beat out Buffalo to win the division, but they sure can be a wildcard. Tua knows that if the Dolphins have a down year, he will absorb much of the blame and potentially put his job on the hot seat for his third year. The pressure is on for Tua, and if he can connect with his playmakers and win games, he could enter that MVP conversation.
Also, most of us have seen the video of Tua throwing this bad pass to Hill in practice:
The NFL community must’ve achieved a peak level of boredom, because there was no reason that should’ve dominated social media feeds for over 24 hours. If that video is your reasoning for thinking Tua is bad, think again. It’s a casual throw in practice. Relax everyone.
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Because Winston, Carr, and Tua are QBs, it makes it much more likely for them to even have a shot at MVP. I wanted to include a list of guys that I think will have tremendous years, but likely wont win the MVP award as they have a positional disadvantage. They are:
- Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers – The Panthers front office did a fantastic job at revamping their offensive line. They spent their 6th overall pick on Ikem Ekwonu, and signed multiple free agents, like Bradley Bozeman and Austin Corbett, that will upgrade that front. Run CMC will have much bigger holes to run through, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go for 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards again, like he did in 2019. It’s impossible to tell who will be under center, but the majority of the Panthers QB options will be constantly dumping it underneath to CMC if they aren’t already handing it off.
- Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans – Who does this team feed the ball to after losing AJ Brown? The answer is Derrick Henry, 11 times out of 10. This team will have a major drop off following their 1 seed year in 2021. I’ve said this with confidence ever since Ryan Tannenhill threw shade towards Malik Willis during a press conference. But regardless of who’s under center, that ball is going to Henry more times than not. The pure volume that Henry will receive makes him a fair candidate for this award.
- Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings – Jefferson has a case for being the second best WR in football. He has had two straight years of over 1,400 yards and 7 TDs, and I see no reason for it to drop off. Kirk Cousins has been an underrated QB for all his career, and will help Jefferson continue to exceed expectations again. Jefferson has the advantage of playing alongside Adam Thielen, which takes some pressure off of Jefferson. If he has a third straight year of elite production, he could stumble into OPOY candidacy, if not MVP.
Let me know what you think in the comments down below. Also, be sure to follow my instagram page @nflmayhem. Thanks for reading, and look out for a new article next week!
