LOS ANGELES – A four-time league MVP, three Super Bowl players and the beginning of a brother act.
The Associated Press 2021 NFL awards had a bit of everything, starting with Aaron Rodgers becoming the fifth player to repeat as MVP.
“It is kind of surreal sitting here,” the 38-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterback said. “Being a four-time MVP is crazy. They’re all different. They’ve all unique in their own ways, and this one feels the sweetest.”
Despite the turmoil of training camp and the headlines created by Rodgers when he misled the public on his COVID-19 vaccination, his play on the field was superb. So much so that he earned 39 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL.
Not even one of Tom Brady’s best performances – in the seven-time Super Bowl winner’s final season – came close in the MVP race, with the 44-year-old and recently retired Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback getting 10 votes.
Only Peyton Manning with five MVP awards is ahead of Rodgers, who said no announcement on his future in the NFL is imminent.
“There was something to how I felt walking off the field,” he said of the team’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. “I had great conversations with the Packers before I left town. There have been changes to the staff. Just comes down to weighing where I am at mentally and what the commitment is.
“I don’t fear retirement and moving on. I’m very proud of what I have accomplished over being in Green Bay for 17 years. Also still highly competitive, and (there’s a) bitter taste from the NFC game. I was frustrated about things during the offseason, and I feel like there’s so much growth. There were some things voiced privately, and I am thankful for the response. There were things done to make me feel special and important.”
AP photo by Mark J. Terrill / Peyton Manning, left, gives the NFL MVP award for the 2021 season to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Thursday night in Inglewood, Calif. It’s the fourth such honor for Rodgers, and only the retired Manning has more, with five.Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp got one vote for MVP, but he easily took top offensive player honors. Kupp and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (comeback player of the year) and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (offensive rookie of the year) will face off in Sunday’s Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.
Kupp led the NFL with 138 receptions, 1,829 receiving yards and 15 touchdown catches while leading Los Angeles to the NFC West Division title. A unanimous All-Pro, he received 35 votes, far in front of Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (10).
Kupp was so productive while working with a new quarterback – veteran Matthew Stafford came over from the Detroit Lions in the offseason – that he had 14 games with at least 10 catches and no games with fewer than seven. Though he isn’t the fastest or strongest at his position, he had 100 yards in 11 contests.
Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt, a unanimous All-Pro like Kupp, led the NFL in sacks with a record-tying 22.5. He was honored as defensive player of the year for the first time; big brother J.J has won the award three times.
“I’m not huge on individual awards,” T.J. said, “but it’s tough not to want that when I saw my brother at the height of his career win that award three times. And I always just thought to myself, ‘Why can’t I do that?'”
Well, now he has.
“Some moments are just special. Couldn’t be more proud of you,” J.J. wrote on Twitter after he’d announced the winner on stage.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who came in second to Watt for top defensive player – but 37 votes behind – was a unanimous choice for defensive rookie of the year. Parsons not only helped the Cowboys turn around their defensive performance this season, he was so dynamic he helped coordinator Dan Quinn win the award as the top assistant coach.
Parsons promised he would get next what Watt has now.
“It’s an honor, and I’m still hungry, you know what I mean?” he said. “I’m coming for him next year.”
In the Bengals’ worst-to-first rise in the AFC North Division and then deep into the playoffs, Chase has been a major contributor. The fifth overall pick in last April’s draft despite skipping the 2020 season at LSU due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chase had 81 catches for 1,455 yards with 13 touchdowns.
His quarterback, of course, was Burrow, two years after they helped LSU win the College Football Playoff national championship. Burrow’s rookie NFL season was cut short by a knee injury in his 10th game with a 2-7-1 record.
The Bengals and Burrow sure made up for that in 2021. He smashed single-season franchise records for passer rating (108.3), passing yards (4,611), touchdown passes (34) and 300-yard games (six). His precision passing ranked first in the league at 70.4%, and despite being sacked a league-high 51 times, Burrow’s average of 8.9 yards also led the NFL.
Mike Vrabel’s work with the Tennessee Titans led to him being voted the league’s top coach. Despite using a record-setting 91 players this season (the most in any year without a strike), and losing his very best for half the schedule – running back Derrick Henry, the offensive player of the year for the 2020 season as a 2,000-yard rusher – Vrabel led Tennessee to the AFC South Division crown and the conference’s top seed.
“It is a reflection of our football team and staff,” Vrabel said. “They make a connection with our players. Players will come and go. I played for 14 years. You can still make a connection and care for your guys. I’m excited about it because we have had adversity and been able to persevere through that.”
Rams tackle Andrew Whitworth, an NFL veteran who also played for the Bengals, won the league’s Walter Payton Man of the Year honor.