At the NFL Honors ceremony in Los Angeles on Thursday night, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was voted the league’s most valuable player, becoming the fifth player in league history to win the accolade in consecutive seasons.
With his strong regular-season performance, Rodgers, 38, edged out Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady for his fourth MVP title, one shy of Peyton Manning’s record five.
After going 13-4 during the regular season, Rodgers led the Packers to their third consecutive NFC North title. He threw for 4,115 yards, 40 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 69.2.
To get to this position, the veteran quarterback overcome obstacles on and off the field. After openly criticising the Packers’ head staff and expressing his unhappiness with their draught decisions, he hinted about retiring or joining another team. His personal health became a matter of contention in November, when it was revealed that he had not been vaccinated following an episode with COVID-19.
Rodgers concluded a fantastic season in 2021 by posting a passer rating of 111.9, a completion percentage of 68.9, and a 13-3 win-loss record, similar to his prior three MVP seasons. In 2021, he had 13 games with two or more passing touchdowns and zero interceptions, the most in a single season in NFL history, and he came as near to perfect as a modern-day quarterback can get.
When the Packers were down in 2021, Rodgers was outstanding, finishing first in completion % (71.8), throwing yards per attempt (9.2), touchdown-to-interception ratio (14-2) and passer rating (126.1). Rodgers’ 37-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio was the third-best in NFL history in a single season, and one of the top six all-time, all of which he owns.
Three of those seasons, including the last two, he was named MVP. Rodgers’ fourth career MVP puts him in second place behind Peyton Manning (five) for most career NFL MVPs won, and he becomes only the fifth player in league history to win the award in consecutive seasons.
Rodgers returned to the Packers in 2021 with receiver Davante Adams and shredded defences, helping Adams rank third in receiving yards (1,553) and fifth in receiving touchdowns (11) while also providing opportunities for other playmakers in the offence. The club was seventh in passing yards per game and tenth in total offence, while coach Matt LaFleur increased his victory total to 39, the most in NFL history for a coach in his first three seasons with a team.
“I think he’s a bad guy,” Hub Arkush, editor and general manager of Chicago Football magazine, said. “I don’t think you can be the biggest jerk in the league and punish your team, and your organization and your fan base the way he did and be the most valuable player.”
Rodgers retaliated by calling Arkush a “absolute bum” and claiming that his issue with him was his lack of vaccinations.
Rodgers indicated he will take some time to think about his future after his season came to an unexpected conclusion with a divisional-round elimination. The Packers, on the other hand, have made it known that they want him back.