2022-23 NFL MVP: Predictions, Odds for Award's Top Candidates

The NFL MVP Award doesn't have to be given to a quarterback. The honor goes to a player each season who is deemed the most valuable to his team by the panel of 50 sports reporters chosen by the Associated Press. It just so happens that a QB is typically the MVP.

This award has been given to a quarterback each of the past nine seasons and in 14 of the past 15 years. The only non-QB to receive the honor during that time was Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named NFL MVP in both 2020 and 2021. But the 39-year-old just had a bit of a down season, so it's highly unlikely he'll get the 2022 award, which will be given out at the NFL Honors on Feb. 9.

Here's everything to know about the competition for the 2022 NFL MVP Award.

Latest MVP Odds and Overview

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ATLANTA, GA JANUARY 08: The NFL logo during the NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons on January 8th, 2023 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Because the All-Pro selections for the 2022 NFL season have been announced, most sportsbooks no longer have MVP odds listed. That's typically what happens around this week because the MVP voters are the same as those who constructed the All-Pro teams.

When Christopher Feery of Legal Sports Report checked the MVP odds at DraftKings Sportsbook earlier this week, here's where they stood:

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: -1600 (bet $1,600 to win $100)

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow: +900 (bet $100 to win $900)

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts: +1500

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen: +1500

Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson: +10000

Top Candidates

AP Photo/Jeff Dean

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) speaks with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) following an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

The overwhelming favorite to win NFL MVP, Mahomes was named the quarterback of the All-Pro first team for the 2022 campaign. The 27-year-old again put up impressive numbers this season, passing for a career-high 5,250 yards (also the most in the NFL) in 17 games. He also led the league with 41 passing touchdowns.

Mahomes also led the Chiefs to more success, as they finished 14-3 to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Kansas City has won 12 or more games in every season since Mahomes became its starting quarterback (from 2018-present).

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Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow

In 2021, Burrow proved he could be a top-tier quarterback in the NFL, winning the league's Comeback Player of the Year Award after impressing in his return from a torn left ACL that ended his 2020 rookie campaign. In 2022, he showed that performance wasn't a fluke.

Burrow passed for 4,475 yards and 35 touchdowns in 16 games, earning his first career Pro Bowl selection. The 26-year-old led the Bengals to a 12-4 record and their second consecutive AFC North title.

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Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

Hurts flashed his potential over his first two years in the NFL, but he took his game to another level in the 2022 season, his third in the league. The 24-year-old set career highs in passing yards (3,701), passing touchdowns (22) and rushing TDs (13).

The Eagles went 14-1 when Hurts (a first-time Pro Bowler) was under center and 0-2 when he missed Weeks 16 and 17 because of a right shoulder sprain. If he hadn't gotten hurt, there's a good chance he could have been named NFL MVP.

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Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen

Allen has been one of the NFL's top quarterbacks in recent years, so it's no surprise he again had a season that put him in the MVP mix. The 26-year-old passed for 4,283 yards and 35 touchdowns, rushed for 762 yards and seven TDs and led the Bills to a 13-3 record and their third straight AFC East title.

In five years in the NFL, Allen has never been named NFL MVP. He likely won't be this year, either, but he should eventually receive the honor at some point in his career.

Prediction

AP Photo/Ed Zurga

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates a touchdown against the Denver Broncos during an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

This is an easy prediction to make: Mahomes will be named NFL MVP for the second time in his six-year career. It will be the first time he's received the award since 2018, his first year as a starter when he threw a whopping 50 touchdown passes in 16 games.

Mahomes put up the best passing numbers in the league this season, and he guided a team that was again one of the strongest in the NFL. The Texas Tech product opened the year by throwing for 360 yards and five TDs in a Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals and ended up having eight games with three or more touchdown passes.

Throughout the season, Mahomes showed the impressive consistency that he's become known for during his time in Kansas City. And without him, the Chiefs likely wouldn't have been nearly as successful.

Expect Mahomes to be holding the trophy at the NFL Honors on Feb. 9.