The 2022 NFL Honors have officially announced their NFL MVP winner for this season, and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers took home the award for the second consecutive year. Rodgers was in a tight race with fellow QB Tom Brady for most of the season, but ultimately, Rodgers’ efficiency down the stretch was just enough to earn him his fourth career MVP win.
NFL MVP Winner: Aaron Rodgers takes home the award
When looking at what Rodgers was able to accomplish this season with the talent he had around him, it’s no wonder he was the NFL MVP winner. Yes, Davante Adams is an elite talent at the wide receiver position. But behind him, it was an ever-revolving door of pass-catching options, largely due to injuries. Rodgers also played most of the season behind four backup offensive linemen.
Nevertheless, the Packers finished the year atop the NFC with a 13-4 record. Unfortunately, their season was ultimately cut short by a shocking loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.
Rodgers put up some impressive numbers this season
At 38 years old, Rodgers had one of his best statistical seasons yet with 4,115 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions. For the second consecutive year, he led the NFL in passer rating, touchdown percentage, and interception percentage. A quarterback has led the league in those three categories only five times in the Super Bowl era. Rodgers’ 9.25 touchdown-to-interception ratio is also the seventh-best mark in NFL history.
Rodgers threw 2+ TD passes with no interceptions in seven consecutive games to end the year, which is the second-longest streak in NFL history.
Tom Brady made a strong case to be NFL MVP winner
The now-retired 44-year-old Tom Brady also made a strong case for MVP in his final season. People might point to just the numbers and argue that Brady was superior, as he threw for 5,316 yards and 43 TDs. However, Brady was playing in a very different offense and threw the ball 188 more times than Rodgers.
Had the two thrown the ball the same amount of times, Rodgers would have been on pace for 5,572 yards and 50 TDs. Aside from just pure volume-based yards and TDs, Rodgers led Brady in nearly all statistical categories such as completion percentage, yards per attempt, TD percentage, interception percentage, and passer rating.
What is next for Rodgers?
Now that he is officially the NFL MVP winner, what is next for the future Hall of Fame QB? It’s no secret that after a tumultuous offseason last year, Rodgers was likely playing in his final season with the Packers. However, could their success this year have changed his mind?
As of right now, nobody knows. It was reported after the team’s loss to the 49ers that Rodgers stayed in Green Bay for a few days for discussions with the coaching staff. However, as of right now, Rodgers has yet to shed any light on his thought process.
PFN’s Chief Draft Analyst and NFL Insider Tony Pauline reported during the Shrine Bowl that, based on what he was hearing, he put the odds of Rodgers being traded to Denver at 60/40 — maybe greater. However, Pauline added that ultimately, whatever Rodgers wants to do is what will happen. Should he choose to remain with Green Bay, they will take him with open arms. If he decides to retire or requests a trade, the organization will accept that as well.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler appeared on a recent episode of SportsCenter and also updated the ongoing situation.
“I’m told the Packers brass has been adamant, both publicly and privately, that they want Aaron Rodgers back and that they’re all on the same page,” Fowler said. “GM Brian Gutekunst has expressed that to Rodgers. Head coach Matt LaFleur has expressed that to Rodgers. They’ve been out full front and in public about that, but also I’ve been told they’ve had some meetings with Rodgers, but it’s been, you know, not too intense yet.”