Brady Ahead of Rodgers Atop NFL MVP Betting Odds

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady last won the NFL MVP award back in 2010, but he’s the betting favorite at the sportsbooks on the odds to pick up that distinction once again in 2015 as we approach the midway point of the NFL season.

Brady won the NFL MVP award for the first time in 2007, then followed that up with a second NFL MVP award in 2010. Since then, however, it’s been Aaron Rodgers (twice), Adrian Peterson, and Peyton Manning who have been named the league’s MVP.

With the Patriots 6-0 and Brady putting up big numbers this year, though, the quarterback sits as the EVEN-money favorite at the sportsbooks on the odds to win the NFL MVP award. Brady has a quarterback rating of 113.2 on the season, with 2,054 passing yards, 16 touchdown passes and only one interception.

Following behind Brady on the latest NFL MVP odds at +200 is Green Bay Packers quarterback Rodgers, who won the award in both 2011 and last season. Rodgers, who has also led his team to a 6-0 start to the year, has a quarterback rating of 115.9 on the season with 1,491 passing yards, 15 touchdown passes, and two interceptions.

Three more quarterbacks follow Brady and Rodgers on the NFL MVP odds, with the Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton at +900, and the Cincinnati Bengals’ Andy Dalton and the Arizona Cardinals’ Carson Palmer both at +1800. The Panthers and Bengals join the Patriots and Packers at 6-0 to start the season, while the Cardinals are 5-2.

The last time a non-quarterback won the NFL MVP award was in 2006, when running back LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers grabbed the honor. Overall running backs have won the NFL MVP award just 18 times, compared to 37 times for quarterbacks, and three times for all other positions.

Three running backs, however, sit in the second tier of the NFL MVP odds, including the Atlanta Falcons’ Devonta Freeman and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell both at +2500. Freeman leads the NFL with 621 rushing yards so far this season to go along with nine touchdowns in seven games, while Bell has run for 511 yards and three scores in five games.

And the Minnesota Vikings’ Peterson is then at +5000 on the odds to win the 2015 NFL MVP award for a second time – he was previously the NFL MVP back in 2012. Peterson has rushed for 530 yards and three touchdowns for the Vikings so far this season.