NFL MVP voter refuses to vote for ‘jerk’ Aaron Rodgers
By Scott Rogust
One voter for the NFL’s MVP award will not be selecting Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The Green Bay Packers officially clinched the top seed in the NFC and home field advantage throughout the playoffs with their 37-10 win over the rival Minnesota Viking. Green Bay holds the best record in the entire league (13-3) and look like the favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at season’s end. One of the main factors in that is due to the play of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is the betting favorite to win the NFL MVP for the second-consecutive year.
There is one voter who will not elect Rodgers as league MVP, and that is Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly. During an appearance on 670 The Score in Chicago, Arkush called Rodgers a “jerk” and explained why the Packers signal caller will not get his vote.
The quote below comes courtesy of Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith.
NFL MVP voter not electing ‘jerk’ Aaron Rodgers
"“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,” Arkush said. “Has he been the most valuable on the field? Yeah, you could make that argument, but I don’t think he is clearly that much more valuable than Jonathan Taylor or Cooper Kupp or maybe even Tom Brady. So from where I sit, the rest of it is why he’s not gonna be my choice. Do I think he’s gonna win it? Probably. A lot of voters don’t approach it the way I do, but others do, who I’ve spoken to. But one of the ways we get to keep being voters is we’re not allowed to say who we are voting for until after the award has been announced. I’m probably pushing the envelope by saying who I’m not voting for. But we’re not really supposed to reveal our votes.”"
Arkush even went as far to say that he can “guarantee” that he “will not be the only one not voting for [Rodgers.]
To say Rodgers has had an eventful year is an understatement. There was the drama throughout this past offseason that put into question whether Rodgers would actually return and play for the Packers in 2021. But, both sides reached an agreement on a return, and it has paid dividends for both sides.
This year, Rodgers has thrown for 3,977 yards, 35 touchdowns and four interceptions all while completing 68.6-percent of his passes.
There are cases to be made as to who deserves to win the NFL MVP for the 2021 season. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp are all names in the conversation, as Arkush mentions in the quote above.
We will get an answer as to who is the NFL MVP just ahead of Super Bowl 56.