Bruce Arians: ‘It’s a Joke’ if Buccaneers’ Tom Brady Doesn’t Win MVP

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named the NFL MVP’s favorite player for the second straight season, but Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians is begging voters to consider handing it over to someone else. That someone is Tom Brady.

Arians defended Brady with some strong words at a press conference the day after the Buccaneers’ final game of the season.

“I think if he doesn’t understand it’s a joke,” Arians said.

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And why does Brady deserve an award, in the opinion of Arians?

“Most of the time it’s done, 5,000 metres, grounded, nine metres,” says Arians. “For me, it’s not even a close race.”

Indeed, Brady has had an extremely impressive season. He completed 67.5% of his passes – his highest since 2007 – with 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns leading the league. His total passes were the third-most in league history and, by far, the most ever thrown by a midfielder over 40.

Brady throws more passes than anyone else in the league with 719, so that definitely helps his numbers. However, it’s unprecedented for him to produce like this at the age of 44. As such, it’s easy to see why Arians believe Brady should be the MVP.

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That said, is Brady a better MVP candidate than Rodgers? That’s where the big debate is, as Rodgers has also put up some great numbers this season. Here’s how the two midfielders compare to each other.

* The Packers were 13-3 when Rodgers started. He missed a game due to COVID-19 protocol.

Brady’s count is better than Rodgers’s. However, Rodgers proved more efficient than Brady, surpassing him in percentage of completion, yards per attempt, and TD to INT ratio. So you can make a case for either person.

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Currently, Rodgers is heavily favored to win the award. He has odds of -480, each FanDuel Sportsbook, while Brady’s chance is +380. Perhaps something will change before the voting is complete, but you can’t go wrong with either option.

Well, unless you’re Bruce Arians. In that case, the obvious answer is Brady.