The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens are no strangers to the NFL MVP race. Two quarterbacks who have each won the NFL MVP award twice will square off to start the 2024 NFL season, further cementing the individual accolade's value.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has more Lombardi Trophies to his name than Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, but both are leading the charge as the AFC's best quarterbacks. Las Vegas says they have some new competition for football's top award in 2024.
The Kansas City Chiefs are no stranger to trophies and awards. Which Chiefs can you bet on to win the NFL MVP?
Mahomes, who was the NFL MVP in 2018 and 2022, has +600 odds to win the award again in 2024, according to DraftKings. Mahomes has a sizeable lead over Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who is in second place with +800 odds. Jackson receives little love as the 2023 NFL MVP sits fifth with +1,000 odds. Check out the top five here.
Kansas City's quarterback leading the field is no surprise, so why not get more exotic? Tight end Travis Kelce is still an integral offensive weapon and currently has +40,000 odds of winning the league's top award. A tight end has never won AP's NFL MVP, and only one non-quarterback has earned the most votes since 2007. If likeability and popularity factored in more, Kelce would definitely have better odds.
There is no need to scroll much further, as both running back Isiah Pacheco and wide receiver Rashee Rice also have +40,000 odds on DraftKings. A $20 bet on those odds sounds foolish, but winning $8,000 sounds pretty enticing. Pacheco would be the first running back to win the award since 2012, when Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson won. While Rice has bigger problems than long betting odds to worry about, he would be the first-ever wide receiver named NFL MVP if he were to win.
Are those odds too strong for you? How does +50,000 sound? That is where defensive tackle Chris Jones and wide receiver Marquise Brown sit on DraftKings. Jones, widely regarded as the league's top defensive tackle, would need to have a historic season to top the MVP ballots. New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor was the last defensive player named league MVP, dating back to 1986. Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page was the first and only defensive tackle to win the award back in 1971.
Brown has some acclimating to do in Kansas City, but the free agent acquisition has a high floor in Kansas City. The former Raven and Arizona Cardinal has the speed and hands to succeed in head coach Andy Reid's system. However, the likelihood of him winning NFL MVP seems more akin to a video game scenario than a realistic possibility.