For the most part, the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award is a quarterback award. Over the last 12 seasons, a quarterback has taken home the award 11 times. The last non-quarterback to win the award was Adrian Peterson in 2012, who finished that season with 2,097 rushing yards.
Recently, BetMGM listed their 2020 NFL MVP odds, and to no surprise, Patrick Mahomes topped the list (+400) as the favorite. Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr came in at an 80-1 longshot, behind other notable quarterbacks such as Josh Allen, Jameis Winston, and Phillip Rivers.
But the one longshot bet that does stand out is Josh Jacobs at 100-1. As we previously noted, running backs don’t win the award very often. But given the number of touches Jacobs could be in line for during the 2020 season, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibilities.
If Jacobs were to come close to 1,600 yards rushing and were able to help lead the Raiders to a playoff berth for the first time since 2016, he would stand a chance to win the award. It’s worth noting that Jacobs averaged nearly 90 yards rushing per game as a rookie despite playing with an injured shoulder. If the Raiders up his workload in the passing game as well, Jacobs could be a threat to surpass 2,000 total yards and double-digit touchdowns.
While it still seems unlikely that a running back will win the award in today’s NFL, don’t rule out Jacobs as a fun longshot bet to take home the award in 2020. He is easily one of the most talented running backs in the NFL and will play in an offense that should feed him touches next season. Look for Jacobs to have an All-Pro caliber season in 2020.
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