08 August 2023 , 19:35
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NFL Players have named Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the best player of the 2022 season. Newly appointed New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, however, has fallen 48 slots to No. 51 on the NFL's Top 100 list.
It's the second time Mahomes has won the prize in his career. He is currently the reigning Super Bowl Champion and MVP, having also received this prestigious honour in 2021. In 2022, the award went to Tom Brady and Mahomes came in at No. 8.
The Chiefs signal caller was phenomenal last season, posting career highs of 5250 passing yards, a 67.1 completion percentage, and 272 first downs. Mahomes also won the AP Offensive Player of the Year, Pro Bowl, and All-Pro NFL honours.
Rodgers is entering his first season as the Jets starting QB after being traded from the Green Bay Packers. According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the team has +1700 odds to win the Super Bowl next season, which is the sixth best odds in the league.
Kansas City Chiefs Head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)Rodgers once topped the list in 2012 after winning the NFL MVP award the season before. Here's a look at his placements over the last five years:
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2023: No. 51
2022: No. 3
2021: No. 3
2020: No. 16
2019: No. 8
For Rodgers, the 2023 list marks the first time he's been outside of the NFL's top 20 players since the first instalment was released in 2011. Brady also topped the list that year despite Rodgers winning the Super Bowl MVP.
There has been speculation as to whether NFL players take the voting process for the list seriously. In 2013, Connor Barwin, a former linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, tweeted that no players participate in the voting. That same year, the Baltimore Ravens receiver was voted higher than Seahawks WR Percy Harvin, despite a wide gap in statistical production.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers participates in a drill (AP)The NFL Network then clarified the voting process, stating that each player lists who they believe to be the top 20 players in the league. The player who tops the list receives 20 points, and the second place earns 19 points, continuing until they reach No. 20.
"All players are given the opportunity to vote through ballots we send to all 32 teams around Thanksgiving," NFL Network spokesman Alex Riethmiller told Pro Football Talk. "For convenience, we try to time it with Pro Bowl balloting so that they can do them together."
"In addition to ballots collected that way, we also give ballots to many of the players we interview for our shows. This year, in total, we received 481 votes."
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During the process, players have the freedom to vote for any candidate. However, in 2013, it was disclosed that only 28 per cent of players participated in the voting process, raising doubts about the list's credibility, which is supposed to represent most of their peers.