Bruce Arians believes it would be a "travesty" if the 2021 NFL MVP award doesn't go to Tom Brady.
Keyshawn Johnson thinks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback absolutely is deserving of the prestigious honor, but the former wide receiver feels there is another signal-caller who is more valuable to his team.
"I mean, I get it. That's his guy and everything. I don't know that it would be a travesty at all," Johnson said Tuesday on ESPN's "First Take." "I think they both deserve it, but I think Aaron Rodgers deserves it a little bit more. I don't want to call it adversity because it's self-inflicted. Everything that went on in the offseason, everything that went on during the season, the whole COVID mess, the misleading. He did that to himself. But what I want to say is when you do things like that and you put this pound of pressure on your back, you now have to overcome that, OK? You start off with a slow start against the New Orleans Saints, but since then all you've been doing is hitting paydirt, on fire constantly, carrying your football team.
"The MVP means most valuable player and that is exactly what he's been to the Green Bay Packers. Now, that's not to say if Tom Brady had to miss some time that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wouldn't fall flat on their face. But I think most people would say that if the Bucs are completely healthy and if Tom Brady missed some time, they may be able to figure it out from a defensive standpoint. Running the football, having Mike Evans there, (Rob) Gronkowski, when Chris Godwin was healthy, when AB (Antonio Brown) was sane, all of those sort of things made the Buccaneers a much better football team. Aaron Rodgers, if he was off the Green Bay Packers, man, we're probably not even having this conversation right now about Green Bay. We're probably talking about the damn Chicago Bears winning the division or something."
Oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook aren't on the same page as Arians either. Rodgers finished the regular season as the outlet's odds-on favorite to win MVP with a 5-to-1 mark. Brady is right behind the reigning MVP with a +350 price.
Brady deep down might covet the award, as it would be great for his brand to add it to his trophy case at 44 years old. But we know at this point, the bulk of the Bucs QB's focus is on winning another Super Bowl.
