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All-Pro Vote Suggests Rodgers Will Win NFL MVP

Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and De'Vondre Campbell were selected first-team All-Pro on Friday.

Bill Huber

GREEN BAY, Wis. – If the All-Pro voting results are any indication, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will win his fourth NFL MVP award on the eve of this year’s Super Bowl.

The Associated Press announced its 2021 NFL All-Pro team on Friday. The same 50 voters who choose the All-Pro team will pick the MVP. At quarterback, Rodgers got 34 votes compared to 16 for Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady.

Three Packers were selected to The AP’s team, which is considered the official All-Pro team. Davante Adams was a unanimous selection at receiver. De’Vondre Campbell finished third in the voting at linebacker; The AP’s defense is based on a 4-3 scheme, meaning Campbell went from unemployed in early June to All-Pro.

While Brady led the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns, Rodgers led the NFL in passer rating, touchdown percentage and interception percentage – just the fifth such season in the Super Bowl era and the second consecutive year in which he accomplished that feat. Rodgers is a four-time first-team All-Pro; he also won it during his MVP seasons of 2011, 2014 and 2020.

Five players – Rodgers, Brady, Brett Favre, Jim Brown and Johnny Unitas – are three-time MVPs. Only Peyton Manning, with five, has more MVPs.

The MVP isn't quite a lock for Rodgers. There are two exceptions. Manning and Steve McNair shared the MVP in 2003. That year, Manning was the first-team All-Pro quarterback. And in 1987, Joe Montana was the first-team All-Pro quarterback ahead of John Elway but Elway won MVP.

MVP, Coach of the Year and all the other top awards will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 12.

Adams finished second in the NFL with 123 receptions and third with 1,553 receiving yards – both franchise records. Of his 11 touchdowns, eight came in the final seven games as the Packers stormed to the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. He’s a first-team selection for the second consecutive year.

Campbell’s story is remarkable. Having started 70 games the previous five seasons, he remained unsigned long after the first waves of free agency were complete. Green Bay added him with a minimum-salary, one-year contract during the June minicamp. He responded with a career-high 146 tackles in 16 starts. His 102 solo tackles led the NFL entering Week 18, a game in which he was inactive to get him ready for the playoffs. He was an all-around standout in run defense and in coverage, and was one of the surest tacklers in the game. He was not picked for the Pro Bowl.

The last Packers off-the-ball linebacker to earn All-Pro? Legendary Hall of Famer Ray Nitschke.

Adams and Campbell will be free agents at the end of the season, and Rodgers' future with the team beyond this year is murky, too.

The only other Packers player to receive votes was Kenny Clark, who was on two ballots to finish sixth at defensive tackle.

Five players were unanimous selection: Adams and Rams receiver Cooper Kupp, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, Steelers edge defender T.J. Watt and Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Kupp won the receiving triple crown by finishing No. 1 in receptions, yards and touchdowns. With 1,811 yards, Taylor won the rushing title by about 550 yards. Watt set the single-season sacks record with 22.5. With 12.5 sacks, Donald is a first-team All-Pro for the seventh consecutive season.

The Packers, Colts, Ravens, Rams and Cowboys each have three selections. It’s a prestigious group of 28 players – 11 on offense, 11 on defense and six on special teams.

CLICK HERE for the full voting results.

The NFL MVP Race: Point-Counterpoint

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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