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Doug KezirianESPN
After winning back-to-back MVP awards, Aaron Rodgers is a +700 betting co-favorite to win again at Caesars Sportsbook, even with such uncertainty surrounding where he will play.
“If he stays in Green Bay, he will probably stay the same price. He won’t go to a team with lesser talent. He’s only going to go where he can win a title,” Caesars Sportsbook director of trading Craig Mucklow told ESPN, while also not assuming regression for the 38-year-old Rodgers. “Age is just a number because really the two front-runners last year were [Tom] Brady and Rodgers.”
Four quarterbacks age 26 or younger join Rodgers among the top five favorites. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is the other +700 co-favorite, followed by Buffalo’s Josh Allen (+900), Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (12-1) and Justin Herbert (14-1) of the Chargers.
“It’s a huge market. It’s volatile. It generates a lot of interest. We will put it up and move the money thereafter,” Mucklow said.
Adding more intrigue to the equation, Caesars is offering odds on five-time MVP Tom Brady, even though the 44-year-old recently retired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “In case the greatest of all time decides retirement is not as fun as it sounds and the call to NFL returns, we are putting Tom Brady up at 45-1 in honor of his age. And in a gesture of faith to our customers, if he doesn’t take a snap all season, we will refund the bets,” Mucklow said.
Derrick Henry (18-1) is the only non-QB among the top nine favorites. A quarterback has won the award nine straight times and in 14 of the past 15 seasons. Cooper Kupp (25-1), Jonathan Taylor (30-1) and Deebo Samuel (40-1) are also among the top 15 favorites.
Five of the past seven MVP winners entered the regular season with odds of 25-1 or longer.