Aaron Rodgers Picks Josh Allen over Saquon Barkley and Lamar Jackson as NFL MVP Frontrunner

If the NFL season ended tonight (December 23), Josh Allen (-550) would be named MVP over Lamar Jackson (+400) and Saquon Barkley (+1200) – as per the odds. Interestingly, this is an assessment many NFL players, including Aaron Rodgers, would agree with.

In his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday night, the NY Jets QB showered praise on the Bills’ superstar ahead of their matchup on December 28. A-Rod also offered a word of caution to Allen about the challenge from the Eagles RB.

“I think he’s the frontrunner for the MVP. Now, that being said, there’s one little wrinkle that could throw a wrench in that, and that is Saquon. If Saquon goes absolutely nuts the last two weeks… Lamar is going to keep doing what he’s doing, but I think as much as Josh deserves to win it, it might just be his turn. If Saquon goes off and gets over 2,000 yards, and breaks Dickerson’s record, that could throw his hat in the ring as well.”

Regarding Jackson, Rodgers pointed out that the Ravens QB, a two-time MVP winner, faces a tougher road against Allen, who has yet to win the award. Statistically, Jackson (3,787 passing yards, 37 touchdowns) has had a superior season to the Bills QB (3,549 passing yards, 26 touchdowns).

However, the Ravens’ (10-5) seasonal record, compared to the Bills’ (12-3), gives the edge to Allen this year.

Rodgers also discussed Barkley’s chances, noting that the Giants RB could surge in the final two weeks and defy the odds with a quick turnaround.

Currently averaging 122.5 yards per game, Barkley is on pace to finish with over 2,000 yards (2,083), which would make his MVP case even stronger. All in all, it appears that the race for the MVP appears far more challenging this season.

Meanwhile, A-Rod also spoke about the AFC seed and wondered whether he would face Josh Allen in a potential QB matchup. “I guess there’s a game Wednesday, and if Kansas City wins, then Buffalo can’t get higher than the 2 seed. Is that right? So, maybe he won’t play this week,” he said initially.

And when McAfee and AJ Hawk expressed disappointment and doubted if Josh might miss a chance to play against an MVP QB, Rodgers retracted his statement, concluding, “I think he’s going to play, and he’s had a great year.”

However, beyond the MVP race, Allen is super focused on helping the Bills win their first Super Bowl. Notably, the Bills are one of the 12 NFL teams that have never won the Super Bowl—a record Allen hopes to erase this season.