Is Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers a lock for the 2021 MVP? Oddsmakers love his chances

The NFL MVP is voted upon with a relatively simple process: Each of the 50 voters gets one vote. There's no ranking or points system; quite simply, most votes wins. Depending on your view, that might make it easier or harder to project who's going to win, but it simplifies the process if there's one clear frontrunner.

And Aaron Rodgers is that frontrunner, at least according to oddsmakers.

After Rodgers led the Packers to an easy win over Minnesota on Sunday, putting the Packers at 13-3 and clinching the top seed in the NFC playoffs, there were plenty who felt the award was all but wrapped. If Rodgers wins the MVP for a second straight year, he'll be just the second player in NFL history to win four and trail only Peyton Manning (five) for most ever.

After the Packers defeated the Vikings, Rodgers' odds (according to DraftKings) went to negative-400, well ahead of second-place Tom Brady (plus-500). Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow, who led the Bengals to an AFC North crown, surged to third in the standings but still stood at plus-1000, and former Badgers running back and current Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor sat in fourth at plus-1600. 

FanDuel puts Rodgers at negative-400, with Brady at plus-550 and Taylor and Burrow both at plus-1400. Odds were similar from BetMGM and PointsBet.

Pretty simply put, if you put $10 on Rodgers to win MVP today, you'd only gain $2.50. If you put the same money on Brady, you'd get roughly $55 back. On Burrow? Anywhere between $100 and $140 back.

The Bengals can still clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win over the Browns in Week 18, plus some help, so there's still opportunity for Burrow to impress voters. Rodgers, meanwhile, may see a limited workload in a meaningless game against the Lions.

Still, people love Rodgers' chances. Even Skip Bayless is resigned to it.

It also seems like Matt LaFleur has a good chance to join Rodgers with some hardware as a first-time Coach of the Year honoree. DraftKings gives LaFleur plus-175 odds, second behind Cincinnati's Zac Taylor (plus-150). FanDuel flips the odds for the two and lists LaFleur as the favorite.

Taylor, meanwhile, is still seen among the favorites for Offensive Player of the Year, though it's a nip-and-tuck race between the Colts running back and Rams receiver Cooper Kupp, and Kupp may have surged into the lead after Week 17. The two both have negative-110 odds according to FanDuel. PointsBet gives the edge to Taylor, but DraftKings doesn't even list Taylor, with Kupp as the heavy favorite.

Taylor and Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt could make it a Badgers 1-2 punch in the awards voting, but Watt will be battling with Cowboys rookie standout Micah Parsons in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. Watt is still seen as a narrow favorite and is no worse than tied with Parsons' odds according to DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and PointsBet.

JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.