LA Chargers: NFL peers pick Justin Herbert as 2021 breakout MVP candidate
By Jason Reed
It has been a long time since there has been this much excitement around an LA Chargers season and it is because of Justin Herbert. The fanbase is buzzing as it did back in the mid-2000s with LaDainian Tomlinson with high expectations for the 2021 team.
Justin Herbert was not even expected to start last season and shocked the world. He had the greatest rookie season in NFL history to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year and with a new head coach in Brandon Staley, the sky is the limit for Justin Herbert.
Every Charger fan knows that Justin Herbert might be the best pick to win the MVP award in 2021. However, Herbert's odds have skyrocketed, meaning that people in Vegas are believing in the second-year quarterback as well.
Even more importantly, Herbert's peers are believing in him as well. FanSided NFL insider Matt Lombardo polled various anonymous NFL players, coaches and executives and asked them various questions ahead of the 2021 season.
One of the questions was which player was flying under the radar ahead of the 2021 season that could end up winning the MVP award. Fifteen different players, coaches and executives gave their answers with Justin Herbert being the most common response.
Baker Mayfield, Ryan Tannehill, Chase Young and Matthew Stafford were all tied in second with two votes apiece.
Justin Herbert winning MVP is picking up serious steam.
Between this and the odds improving for Justin Herbert, it is safe to say that the narrative for Herbert to win the award is heading in the right direction. That is half the battle, anyway. Half of the battle is playing well and winning football games, the other half is getting the narrative behind you.
There is no better narrative than a second-year quarterback leading the Chargers to the playoffs after seeing how poorly the team has operated the last two years. Not only does he benefit from being a fresh face, but Herbert benefits because of where he plays.
If the Chargers were winning football games last season then Herbert probably would have been in the running as well. They weren't, but now, everything is better for the second-year quarterback.
The offensive line projects to be miles better than it was last season and the coaching should be a vast improvement. Not only was the play-calling terrible last season but the play designs were not the greatest, either.
Justin Herbert had every reason to play poorly and chalk it up as a learning process in a bad situation. Instead, he turned in one of the most surprising rookie seasons of all time. Now just imagine what he can do when the situation is actually a positive one.
Next. 3 bold predictions for Justin Herbert in 2021. dark
Something tells me that the NFL personnel who voted for Justin Herbert are onto something, but you probably already knew that.