Packers' Aaron Rodgers Named 2021 NFL MVP, Repeats as Winner

Aaron Rodgers is the MVP for the fourth time in his illustrious career.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback defeated a strong list of candidates including Tom Brady, Jonathan Taylor and Cooper Kupp. He also ensured he will have more career MVPs than Brady considering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller—who has three MVPs—announced his retirement after a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

This was the longest season in NFL history, so it was only fitting that a number of different MVP candidates emerged during the 18 weeks.

Taylor was certainly one of those names as he put the Indianapolis Colts on his back and turned their season around following a 1-4 start. They went 8-2 in the next 10 games, with the 23-year-old going above 100 yards on the ground eight times during that span.

He also broke the Colts' single-season record for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns on his way to final numbers of 1,811 rushing yards, 360 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns, with 18 of them coming on the ground.

It appeared he may become the first running back to win the MVP award since Adrian Peterson in 2012, but he lost some momentum when Indianapolis dropped the final two games to miss the playoffs with the last one coming in shocking fashion against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Taylor wasn't the only one trying to prevent the quarterback position from winning MVP for the ninth time in a row and 14th time in the last 15 years.

Kupp was already an established wide receiver after finishing the 2019 season with 1,161 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches, but he broke through with an incredible individual effort in 2021 while helping lead the Los Angeles Rams to the NFC West title and a Super Bowl appearance.

He quickly emerged as Matthew Stafford's go-to option in the quarterback's first year with the team and finished the regular season by leading the NFL across the board with 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Becoming the first wide receiver to win MVP in NFL history was at least a topic of discussion, especially since no other player in league history tallied 130 catches, 1,800 yards and 15 touchdowns in a single season.

Still, the MVP is largely a quarterback award, and the narrative eventually became Rodgers against Brady in a battle for the NFL's top individual achievement.

From a statistical perspective, Brady led the league in passing yards (5,316 to 4,115) and passing touchdowns (43 to 37), while Rodgers had the edge in completion percentage (68.9 to 67.5) and interceptions (four to 12).

Rodgers' Packers also finished with the No. 1 seed in the NFC even though both Green Bay and Tampa Bay ended the season with a 13-4 record. One of Green Bay's losses came when Rodgers was sidelined during a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The first major clue in the MVP race came when Rodgers was named as the first-team All-Pro quarterback over Brady by a voting margin of 34-16. Considering the same 50 Associated Press voters also determine the MVP, it was difficult to envision Brady taking home the award when the Packers' signal-caller was recognized in such a way.

Ultimately, Rodgers won the award after an impressive individual effort during a season that featured multiple worthy contenders.