Russell Wilson still hasn’t received a single MVP vote during his NFL career. That’s one of the most egregious injustices in a league stuffed with them. In 2020, Wilson got off to an incredible start and was considered the frontrunner to win the award during the first half of the season. Unfortunately, Wilson’s performance fell off after Week 8 and he was surpassed by Aaron Rodgers, who went on to win his third MVP.
Could this be the season that Wilson finally gets his proper respect from the voters? Shiel Kapadia at the Athletic think so. He’s predicted that 2021 will be Wilson’s year.
“Wilson still has two stud receivers — DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett — in their primes. And the Seahawks’ offensive line has the potential to be an above-average unit. Is it possible that Pete Carroll pushes the run game more? Of course. That’s the expectation. But Wilson should still get plenty of opportunities to air it out, especially considering that the Seahawks’ defense might not be that great and Seattle will need to score points to be competitive.”
To get there, a few things will need to happen.
First, Wilson has to sustain a high level of play for the entire year. A bad week or two is bound to happen but he can’t go through an extended slump like he did near the end of last season.
Next, Seattle has to finish with a stellar record – nothing less than 13-4 will get the job done.
Wilson will also need to get a lift from his coaching, which has let him down so far in his career. Previous playcallers Brian Schottenheimer and Darrell Bevell never succeeded in developing Wilson’s quick game – an area that new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron should thrive in.
Most of all, Seattle has to take the shackles off. Wilson has reached the point in his career where he should be able to run a no-huddle offense with absolute freedom to make changes as he sees fit. While there’s room for the underrated Chris Carson to get plenty of touches, the organization (namely Pete Carroll) has to abandon the instinct to embrace a physical run-first offense and allow Wilson to truly let it fly.
If all that happens, Wilson’s chances of winning MVP should be as good as anyone’s.
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