Drew Brees shares who has an outside shot at NFL MVP, and he’s not a quarterback

While Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford and Jonathan Taylor have dominated league MVP discussions, former Saints Super Bowl-winner and soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees mentioned another player who certainly deserves consideration, too. 

“There’s a lot of guys that are playing some outstanding football,” Brees said during a one-on-one interview with CBS Sports. “Drake Maye, he’s made huge leaps from last year. … Stafford is playing outstanding.

“I look at what the Seattle Seahawks are doing right now. You know, if [Jaxon Smith-Njigba] isn’t an MVP candidate, he’s certainly Offensive Player of the Year, right? I think those are some good names.” 

Now in his third season in Seattle, Smith-Njigba is enjoying a breakout season for the Seahawks, who are off to a surprising 7-2 start under second-year coach Mike Macdonald. Smith-Njigba is currently leading the NFL with 1,041 receiving yards and is on pace to break Calvin Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964. 

While he is certainly deserving of consideration, Smith-Njigba doesn’t have history on his side as far as winning league MVP. No receiver in league history has won the award, including Jerry Rice, who didn’t win following the strike-shortened 1987 season despite catching 22 touchdowns in just 12 games. The award instead went to then-Broncos quarterback John Elway. 

Perhaps coincidentally, the year that Johnson set the single-receiving receiving record was also the last time a non-quarterback won league MVP. In the 12 years since then-Vikings running back Adrian Peterson won MVP, a quarterback has won the award each year. 

Speaking of quarterbacks, Brees doesn’t envision Stafford — who at 37 is enjoying arguably his finest season to date — or the 7-2 Rams slowing down anytime soon. Brees feels that Stafford has a golden opportunity to solidify his status as a future Hall of Famer. 

“I think he still has some great years ahead of him,” Brees said of Stafford, who earlier this season became the ninth quarterback to reach 400 touchdown passes and the 10th one to eclipse 60,000 passing yards. “It’s really just a matter of how long he wants to play. He’s in a place now with some really incredible talent around him, a great head coach in Sean McVay and a great system that just fits his strengths. 

“He still has all the ability in the world,” Brees said. “I find that window between age 35 and 40-42-years-old is really an opportunity for a quarterback. That’s almost like entering your prime. Think about just how much you understand and know mentally, and if you’re still able to do it physically, then those could be some of your absolute best years.”

Brees is keeping himself busy this fall. In addition to keeping a close eye on the NFL in his role as an analyst, Brees has teamed up with Abbott for their “We Give Blood Drive” competition through their partnership with the Big Ten to see which Big Ten school can donate the most blood throughout the college football season. The winning school, which will be announced during the 2025 Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game on Dec. 6, will receive $1 million from Abbott for student or community health. There is also the opportunity to earn a Big Ten school shirt of your choice by giving blood. 

“I think a lot of us maybe just don’t recognize the impact that giving blood can do for our community and just saving lives,” Brees said. “One blood donation can save up to three lives. … We’re actually in a blood shortage right now as a country. It’s kind of unprecedented, maybe the worst one of our of our lifetime, and so we’re encouraging everybody to get out and give blood.”