Cooper Kupp won't win MVP, but he should at least be in the conversation

[theramswire.usatoday.com] Cooper Kupp won't win MVP, but he should at least be in the conversation

Cameron DaSilva
December 15, 2021 11:32 am PT
A wide receiver has never won NFL MVP. That’s not likely to change this year, either.

But even with how quarterback-centric the award is, Cooper Kupp should at least deserve consideration for MVP amid his historically great season with the Rams. And if he can’t earn votes for the numbers he’s put up through 13 weeks, it’s hard to see a wide receiver ever winning MVP.


With four weeks to go, Kupp leads the NFL in receptions (113), receiving yards (1,489) and touchdown catches (12). He has 12 games with at least seven receptions and 90 yards, becoming the most consistent player in the league right now.

Furthermore, he’s the first player in league history with at least 110 catches, 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns through 13 games. By just about every measure, Kupp is putting together a season unlike many others in NFL history.

He even has a chance to catch Calvin Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964 receiving yards – albeit, in one extra game.

If you pulled Kupp from the Rams’ roster, they’d look like a very different team. They’d still be competitive, but he adds so much on offense, from moving the chains on third down to blocking defenders on the edge to making terrific catches in the red zone.

Yet, when looking at the top MVP candidates, Kupp isn’t even among them. And when analysts discuss the players with a chance to win it, Kupp’s name is never mentioned. According to Tipico Sportsbook, he has the 11th-best odds of any player at +8000. That means a $100 wager would return a profit of $8,000.

Knowing the history of the MVP award, would you be willing to make that bet? Probably not, because wide receivers simply don’t win MVP. That’s partly because if a wide receiver is having a season like Kupp’s, his quarterback is likely to be in the MVP race, too – with much better odds.

That’s the case with Matthew Stafford, who’s +1500 to win it, which is sixth-best. It’s hard to fathom a scenario where Kupp wins MVP over his quarterback.

That’s not the sentiment with Jonathan Taylor, however. He has the ninth-best odds at +2000. He deserves to be in the conversation for the job he’s done with the Colts, but why should he get serious consideration and not Kupp. Yes, he has exactly 200 more yards from scrimmage, but he’s just as valuable to the Colts as Kupp is to the Rams.

And with the Rams sitting two games ahead of the Colts in the standings, Kupp is playing for a better team, too. So again, if Taylor has a chance to win MVP, why shouldn’t Kupp?

Perhaps this is more about how skewed the award is to quarterbacks. There’s no denying their value – it’s the most important position in sports – but it’s becoming increasingly difficult for anyone other than a quarterback to win it.

Kupp and Taylor almost certainly aren’t going to win MVP over Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Kyler Murray unless they all throw 14 interceptions and zero touchdown passes in the last four weeks, but at least they have Offensive Player of the Year to fight for.

That’s essentially become the Most Valuable Non-Quarterback award.