Typically, the NFL MVP is going to be a quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton are the most recent players to win the award. Derrick Henry and Cooper Kupp were close candidates to win it last season, but Rodgers pulled away.
Around the NFL writer Kevin Patra decided to pick a non-QB MVP choice from every AFC team and he landed on Matthew Judon as his choice for the New England Patriots.
“The Patriots are an interesting makeup,” Patra wrote. “They have no obviously dominant players, but the roster is stellar. Picking one non-QB from this group who could break out is a crapshoot, particularly given how the Pats spread the ball on offense. I’ll go with Judon as the most likely stud to turn heads on a defense that got leaky down the stretch in 2021.
“In his first season in New England, Judon collected a career-high 12.5 sacks, and there was potential for more. PFF credited him with 64 total pressures last season — just three fewer than T.J. Watt, who tied the all-time sack record with 22.5. It’s not crazy to think Judon could have another career year in Bill Belichick’s system.”
Judon, 29, signed a four-year deal worth $56 million and he will be a huge piece in the Patriots’ defense this season. As Patra noted, it’s hard to imagine another player who could win the award on this roster outside of Judon.
