HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Texas T Kelvin Banks Jr. Declares For Draft

January 12th, 2025 at 6:39pm CST by Ely Allen

The 2025 NFL Draft is a strange one in that, unlike most drafts, this one lacks a collection of top-tier offensive linemen. That makes the evaluation of the top tackle prospects this year that much more important. One such prospect, Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., announced his intent to forgo his senior year of college to enter the draft on his Instagram.

As a consensus five-star prospect and the third-ranked tackle recruit in the nation, Banks had all the big offers coming out of Summer Creek HS on the north side of Houston. While he did entertain a visit with Mario Cristobal and company in Oregon, the rest of his five official visits were fairly local, starting with LSU and Oklahoma State before considering the two in-state big dogs, Texas and Texas A&M. Though he took all his visits in the summer, he spent his senior season uncommitted before choosing the Longhorns on the early National Signing Day.

Texas didn’t wait to employ Banks’ services, starting one of the gems of their 2022 class at left tackle for all 13 games of his true freshman season. Banks immediately impressed, garnering second-team All-Big 12 honors while contributing to a line that helped Bijan Robinson secure first-round status. As a sophomore, Banks drew even more attention in national award voting and, for the second straight season, ensured that the top running back taken in the draft would come out of Austin.

Banks’ junior year was a bit of a mixed bag. His first two seasons in the college football warranted speculation that he may end up being the top offensive lineman in the draft, and he did enough to win both the Lombardi Award (best lineman of the year) and the Outland Trophy (best interior lineman in college football). His first season of SEC play, though, was mostly considered underwhelming by scouts, relative to the lofty expectations he had set. Still, with a lack of other top options, Banks is projected as a first-rounder and, likely, a top-10 pick.

The first concern for Banks is size. Listed by the Longhorns as 6-foot-4, 320, plenty of NFL teams will view Banks as a guard at the next level — an argument he can counter by pointing to his three sacks allowed over three seasons of only playing left tackle. His pass protection has been his strength, and it tends to be more consistent than his abilities as a run blocker. That being said, when going up against crafty pass rushers with a wide tool set, he can be caught easily out of position or on the ground.

Regardless, the tools to be a top lineman in the NFL are present. ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks Banks as the top offensive lineman in the class and the 10th-best overall prospect in the draft. Kiper’s colleagues at ESPN (Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, and Field Yates) all agree with Banks ranking as the top tackle. In his midseason draft rankings, Dane Brugler of The Athletic had dropped Banks a bit, ranking him as the second-best tackle behind LSU’s Will Campbell and the 18th-best overall prospect in the class.

In addition to Banks’ announcement, Texas saw junior running back Jaydon Blue announce his intentions to forgo his senior year of college, as well (per his X account). While Blue broke out in his junior year with career-highs in rushing yards (730), rushing touchdowns (8), and all receiving stats (42 receptions, 368 yards, 6 touchdowns), he played second fiddle to sophomore running back Quintrevion Wisner. With Wisner’s role only set to increase next year, Blue is likely making a business decision here, choosing the draft after a solid year over the transfer portal.

Though he does possess some flash and playmaking ability, Blue is not present on any pre-draft rankings. The 2025 draft is set to be extremely deep with quality running backs, so expect Blue to end up as a mid- to late-round flier, if selected.

Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald Endorses New Geno Smith Contract

January 12th, 2025 at 4:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the Seahawks’ season over, attention has turned to the team’s most important looming financial decisions. At the top of that list, of course, is a call on how to handle quarterback Geno Smith‘s future.

Smith is under contract for 2025, but he is slated to carry a cap hit of $44.5MM. A new deal will need to be worked out to avoid carrying such a cumbersome figure, and after attempting to kickstart extension talks this past summer Smith’s camp has made it clear he wants a fresh round of commitments from the team. Seattle has a window of opportunity in this situation, with none of his 2025 base salary guaranteed and his roster bonus not due until March 20.

That bonus was set to check in at $10MM, but Smith’s performance in Week 18 changed the situation. The 34-year-old hit three separate contract escalators, bringing the value of his bonus to $16MM (as detailed by ESPN’s Brady Henderson). By the time the new league year begins, though, more clarity will have emerged with respect to whether or not team and player will be willing to continue their relationship. The Seahawks are expected to scan the quarterback market this offseason, something which could provide them with a Smith replacement. Head coach Mike Macdonald would be on board with making a new commitment in the veteran, however.

“I want Geno to be here,” Macdonald said (via Henderson). “I think he’s a heck of a player… I feel like Geno’s the best for the team right now. I’ll be involved with [contract talks]. Ultimately it’s not my decision. It’s a Seahawks decision, but Geno knows how we feels about him and we love him as our starting quarterback, for sure.”

Winning out a competition with Drew Lock to serve as Russell Wilson‘s successor in 2022, Smith exceeded expectations en route to the Comeback Player of the Year award during his first campaign as Seattle’s starter. He followed that up with a second straight Pro Bowl season, but with the Seahawks falling short of the postseason and moving on from Pete Carroll, questions loomed about Smith’s status moving forward. As more of his 2024 compensation became locked in, it became clear the former second-rounder would again handle QB1 duties.

Smith recorded 4,320 passing yards and a 70.4% completion percentage this season; both of those figures represent franchise records he had already set in 2022. Given his age and the fact Seattle again failed to qualify for the playoffs, however, it would be feasible for a reset under center (or at least the addition of a young passer capable of taking over from Smith down the road) to be a top organizational goal In any event, the team’s search for a new offensive coordinator represents a key element in this situation. The Seahawks own the No. 18 selection in April’s draft.

Seattle is among the teams currently slated to be over the cap for the 2025 league year, meaning a number of financial moves will be required over the coming weeks. One which lowers Smith’s cap hit will no doubt be among them, but how the team goes about doing that will make for an interesting storyline.

Ravens, S Marcus Williams Agree To Restructure; Post-June 1 Release On Tap

January 12th, 2025 at 2:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Marcus Williams‘ third campaign with the Ravens has not gone according to plan. The veteran safety has found himself a healthy scratch for multiple weeks, and he is on track to see his contract terminated in the coming offseason.

[RELATED: Tracking Each Team’s 2025 Cap Carryover]

Williams and the Ravens recently agreed to a restructure, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap reports. A release taking effect after June 1 was the likely outcome of this situation once Williams fell out of the team’s plans on defense. In the meantime, though, Williams’ cap impact will be lowered. His base salary has been dropped from $12MM to $2.1MM, Fitzgerald notes, creating immediate savings. Players designated as post-June 1 cuts immediately become free agents, but their teams do not see the additional cap space until after that date.

Now, as a result of the restructure, Baltimore will have $9.9MM in space which would not have otherwise been available during the early portion of the offseason. The team will free up the remaining $2.1MM once Williams’ contract is officially off the books on June 2. This move will result in $6.72MM in dead money charges in 2025 and ’26.

Following a five-year run in New Orleans, Williams was one of the top free agents in 2022. He inked a five-year, $70MM deal with the Ravens and as such faced high expectations upon arrival. The former second-rounder matched his career high with four interceptions in his first Baltimore campaign, one which was limited to 10 games due to injury. Last year, Williams only made 11 appearances while spending much of the year at less than full strength. His starting spot was not in jeopardy early in the current campaign, but part of the team’s midseason defensive adjustments was the decision to bench him.

Through the closing stages of the regular season and into last night’s wild-card game, Baltimore has used Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington as safety starters. That setup is set to continue the rest of the way, and Williams will no doubt welcome a fresh start this spring (although his market has obviously taken a major hit). The 28-year-old’s next contract will surely fall well short of the $15MM annual average value he secured from the Ravens. With Williams set to depart, meanwhile, safety will be a position to watch during the offseason for the team this offseason.

Jets, Saints Remain Top Suitors For Lions DC Aaron Glenn

January 12th, 2025 at 1:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

To no surprise, Aaron Glenn is among the most popular candidates in this year’s head coaching cycle. With the top-seeded Lions on the bye this week, the team’s defensive coordinator was busy taking interviews with each of his numerous suitors.

[RELATED: Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Glenn spoke with five teams in recent days, taking every interview with an interested party except for the Patriots. New England has since become the first team to fill its HC vacancy, making the expected move of hiring Mike Vrabel. Now that the first domino has fallen, Glenn’s name in particular will be worth watching closely.

The 52-year-old “crushed” each of his interviews, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports (video link). As a result, Glenn could very well find himself involved in follow-up meetings with at least a few teams as their searches heat up. To no surprise, Jones notes the Jets and Saints remain potential landing spots provided Glenn does indeed land a head coaching position for the first time in his career.

During the course of his 15-year tenure as a player, Glenn spent eight seasons in New York. It was with the Jets that he earned two of his three Pro Bowl nods, and his success on the field (not to mention the degree to which his stock as a coaching candidate has increased in recent years) helped make him one of the team’s first recipients of an interview request. Indeed, ESPN’s Dan Graziano writes the three names mentioned most frequently in connection to the Jets are Glenn, Vrabel and Vikings DC Brian Flores.

Having moved on from Robert Saleh after three-plus seasons, the Jets are a candidate to change approaches on the sidelines by looking to a coach with an offensive background. Graziano’s colleague Rich Cimini notes some observers agree that is the route the team will take, although others point to Glenn as the “best fit” for their current vacancy. He has been an NFL staffer since 2014, including four years in his current post as the leader of Detroit’s defense.

Of course, Glenn’s first coordinator gig was preceded by a five-year run in the Saints’ organization. He worked as New Orleans’ defensive backs coach during that span, and a return to the city to replace Dennis Allen remains a possibility to watch for. A recent report suggest Glenn could be the leading candidate for the Saints, one of the teams which has kept an eye out for the potential of Mike McCarthy reaching the open market.

McCarthy and the Cowboys are negotiating a new deal, though, and it remains to be seen if his existing contract will expire without a new agreement being in place (or at least imminent). Provide McCarthy winds up being unavailable, the Saints could move quickly in arranging a second interview with Glenn. The Jets will also be worth watching on that front.

Deion Sanders Eyeing Raiders’ HC Job; Team Has “Zero Interest”

January 12th, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Ben Levine

JANUARY 12: The Raiders reportedly have “zero interest” in Sanders, who is only using the club for leverage, a source tells Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic (subscription required).

JANUARY 11: While Deion Sanders has continually committed to sticking with the Colorado Buffaloes, it sounds like the fast-rising head coach and NFL Hall of Fame cornerback has indeed been sniffing around at some NFL gigs. According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sanders “has his eye” on the Raiders head coaching job.

[RELATED: Deion Sanders Not Talking NFL Future]

One source described Sanders as having “very strong interest” in the opening. In fact, the coach’s “NFL-connected associates” actually reached out to the Raiders to relay the message. Bonsignore cautions that it’s uncertain if the interest has been reciprocated.

Following his success at Jackson State and his 2024 run at Colorado, Sanders has been mentioned as a potential option for HC-needy teams, although the iconic player has yet to garner any official interviews. It was previously reported that Sanders’ name hadn’t been making itself around NFL circles, and vacancies in Chicago, New Orleans, or New York were described as unnatural fits.

However, a logical landing spot could be Las Vegas. Tom Brady is helping to spearhead the team’s search for a new head coach, and Bonsignore notes that the iconic QB-turned-part owner and the Sanders family “have a long relationship.” Brady has mentored Shedeur Sanders over the past few years, and TB12 eventually signed the prospect to an NIL deal. Armed with the sixth-overall pick, the Raiders might fall just outside of the range for the Colorado QB, although the team could be positioned to move up if they identify Sanders as their guy.

Deion Sanders recently said he’d only consider a move to the NFL if he could coach his son (via Bonsignore), and Las Vegas would represent one of the lone spots for that to happen. Of course, it’s a two-way street, and after dealing with a carousel of head coaches in recent years, the Raiders may not be looking to take as much of a risk with their next move.

As our 2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, the following candidates have been connected to the Raiders:

Giants Likely To Retain DC Shane Bowen

January 12th, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Rory Parks

Brian Daboll will remain in place as the Giants’ head coach in 2025, and both of his top lieutenants could stay with him. Despite rumors that offensive coordinator Mike Kafka could be dismissed if team ownership elected to retain Daboll, that has not happened yet. So unless Kafka lands a head coaching gig, it looks like he is on track to see out his thru-2025 contract with Big Blue.

Likewise, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports that defensive coordinator Shane Bowen appears likely to stay on Daboll’s staff for the 2025 campaign (video link). Bowen’s job security was called into question by the harsh evaluation that owner John Mara recently gave of his club’s defense, and the fact that the Patriots just hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach immediately created some speculation that Bowen could join him in Foxborough.

Bowen, 38, worked with Vrabel on the Texans’ defensive staff over the 2016-17 seasons, and when Vrabel took the Titans’ head coaching job in 2018, Bowen followed him to Tennessee to become the club’s linebackers coach. Bowen was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2021, a role he held for three seasons.

His first year on the job was his best, as the Titans finished 12th in total defense and sixth in scoring defense in 2021 en route to an AFC South title and an appearance in the divisional round of the playoffs. Thanks in part to injury troubles, Bowen’s unit was unable to replicate that performance over the next two seasons, and after Vrabel was dismissed last January, Bowen took an interview with the Giants (who had just parted ways with former DC Wink Martindale in the wake of highly-publicized friction between Martindale and Daboll). 

Bowen’s first Giants defense finished in the bottom-10 in terms of yardage and just outside the bottom-10 in terms of points allowed, so he did not necessarily make a compelling case to stick around (to say nothing of the fact that he was not the Giants’ top choice to serve as Martindale’s successor in the first place). However, like the rest of New York’s top staffers, it appears he will be given a mulligan and will return in 2025, though Garafolo does leave open the possibility that the Giants could allow Bowen to leave the club and reunite with Vrabel if he wants to.

Jayden Daniels’ Presence Could Dissuade Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury From Taking HC Job

January 12th, 2025 at 9:07am CST by Rory Parks

Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is once again a prominent name in head coaching rumors, thanks in large part to the work he has done with Washington’s rookie phenom, Jayden Daniels. The presence of the young passer could compel Kingsbury to remain in the nation’s capital and to eschew possible HC opportunities.

When asked earlier this month if he was ready to field questions related to his head coaching candidacy, Kingsbury smiled and said, “it would take a lot to leave this kid” (via ESPN’s John Keim). Of course, the “kid” in question is Daniels, who was effusive in his praise for his OC.

“He’s meant a lot, obviously, for my development and my growth from the day I stepped foot here to this point now,” Daniels said. “Just to be able to see and get to learn the type of person Kliff is on and off the field, it’s only helped our relationship grow.”

Keim’s expansive piece is well-worth a read for Commanders fans in particular, and in it, Kingsbury offers a few candid remarks as to why his first head coaching job with the Cardinals went south. He also says that working under Washington HC Dan Quinn has driven home the lessons he learned from his struggles in the desert.

“I don’t think I set the foundation [in Arizona] the way I would do it after watching [Quinn] and how he set the foundation from day one,” Kingsbury said. “These are the standards, this is what we want, this is what we’re going to be. I definitely could have done a better job of that.”

Following his Arizona ouster, Kingsbury travelled for several months and realized that, despite the struggles he endured at the end of his Cardinals tenure, he wanted to return to football. He served as a senior offensive analyst at the college level for USC in 2023 before accepting the Commanders’ OC gig this past offseason.

As Keim observes, Kingsbury’s role allows him to focus on running an offense and building a relationship with players, which are the aspects of the coaching profession that he enjoys the most. And the success that he and the club have had in the first year of the Daniels era – Washington posted a 12-5 record and qualified for the postseason – have led some to wonder whether he would want to dive back into the head coaching ranks so soon.

Indeed, reports from earlier this month suggested that, while Kingsbury does want to be a head coach again at some point, he may not be in a rush to leave his current position. And subsequent reporting noted that HC-needy clubs were gauging just how much interest Kingsbury has in accepting a new top job in this year’s cycle.

The Bears and Saints nonetheless submitted interview requests for Kingsbury, who has reportedly received interest from at least two other clubs. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Kingsbury will move forward with the Chicago and New Orleans interviews this week (video link).

The Chicago post in particular has been rumored as a logical one for Kingsbury, as his one season at USC doubled as Caleb Williams’ final year at the school, and the two built a solid relationship during that time. Naturally, one of the Bears’ top priorities moving forward will be coaxing high-end production out of Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

Even if the Bears, Saints, or some other team were to extend an offer, it is far from certain that Kingsbury would accept it. Like Lions OC Ben Johnson, whose performance over his time in Detroit has allowed him to be highly selective as to if and when he accepts an HC offer, Kingsbury is in a comfortable situation that has allowed him to rebuild his stock in a short amount of time. With Daniels looking every bit like the franchise passer Washington has sought for so long, the 45-year-old coach seemingly feels no pressure to leave his young protégé.

Mike Vrabel Expected To Become Patriots’ Next HC

January 11th, 2025 at 11:33pm CST by Ely Allen

11:33pm: As if the below reporting wasn’t enough indication of where this coaching search was headed, Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports confirmed that the Patriots are indeed negotiating a deal with Vrabel to become their next head coach. Schultz claims that, “barring something unforeseen, the expectation remains that both sides will reach an agreement.”

4:21pm: The Patriots seem to be well on their way to replacing one former player-head coach with another. After firing former linebacker Jerod Mayo after only one season as head coach, it appears that New England is narrowing in on another former linebacker to replace him. While it has already been established that former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is the “heavy favorite,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that contract talks are already underway.

In the segment, Pelissero’s colleague, Ian Rapoport, doubled down on Vrabel as the overwhelming favorite to land the job. Though he did mention that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is under heavy consideration, as well, Rapoport reports that nobody he has connected with on the subject believes anyone other than Vrabel will be hired for the job. The new information in the segment is the bit from Pelissero that the Patriots have already started contract talks with Vrabel’s agent, indicating that a decision is well underway.

This is supported by a recent report from Dianna Russini of The Athletic, who says that, while Johnson interviewed well with New England, he plans to continue meeting with other teams. She adds that the Patriots are reportedly “pushing for a quick resolution to their HC search,” with many around the league expecting a decision this weekend. With that soon of a decision expected, it’s hard to believe New England plans on hiring anyone but the person with whom they’re already discussing a contract.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn even declined to interview for the job in New England. Glenn’s refusal to kowtow to the Patriots’ nominal attempt to fulfill the Rooney Rule with a decision already made highlights a continuing issue with New England’s hiring process. Last year, the team circumvented the rule by having a written succession plan for Mayo to take over for Bill Belichick. This year, the team seems to be scheduling interviews just to meet the requirements — at least two interviews with a minority or female candidate — despite having allegedly already made their decision. The team has currently fulfilled that requirement with interviews of former Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.

Vrabel’s first stint as a head coach was widely viewed as a successful one. As a first-time head coach, Vrabel racked up a 54-45 regular season record and three consecutive postseason berths. His first trip to the playoffs resulted in a trip to the AFC Championship Game, while his next two visits were one-and-dones. He was fired by Tennessee after two consecutive losing seasons in 2022 and 2023 and served as a coaching and personnel consultant in Cleveland this year after failing to land the Chargers’ head coaching gig.

As the decision to bring on Vrabel seems to be drawing nearer and nearer, so, too, is the assumption that he will reunite Josh McDaniels with his former team. Josh Jones of CBS Sports reiterated today the prediction that McDaniels will serve as Vrabel’s offensive coordinator.

Community Tailgate: NFL MVP Race

January 11th, 2025 at 10:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 2023 NFL season yielded a dearth of clear-cut MVP candidates, but that has not proven to be the case this year. Several players made a claim to receive consideration at various points in the campaign, and debate has continued through the conclusion of the season regarding which one will ultimately take home the award at NFL Honors.

As usual, quarterbacks have dominated the discussion. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley led the way for other positions in 2024, a year in which he became the NFL’s ninth ever 2,000-yard rusher. Especially given the team’s decision to rest him in Week 18 (which prevented him from being able to attempt breaking Eric Dickerson’s all-time record), though, it is extremely unlikely the run of QBs receiving the MVP nod will end this year.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ passing attack gave the team a chance to rally from 4-8 into the postseason, and a wild-card berth was still possible entering the final day of the regular season. Cincinnati fell short of the No. 7 seed, however, effectively ending Burrow’s chances of receiving votes at the top of the MVP ballot. The likes of Jared Goff (Lions) and Sam Darnold (Vikings) are likely to be popular names on the lower end of many MVP voters’ final five-player lists, but as far as most observers are considered the race for the award is down to two contenders.

Lamar Jackson has served as the Ravens’ full-time starter for six seasons. Twice in his previous five – including two of the past three where he has remained healthy through the full campaign – he has collected the Most Valuable Player award. That includes a unanimous nod in 2019 as well last year’s award, for which the only other first-place vote went to Josh Allen. Unsurprisingly, the Bills star once again finds himself as the other candidate to receive the honor this year.

Baltimore and Buffalo both saw several notable changes this past offseason, although continuity at a number of spots and with respect to the team’s offensive coordinators was also present. In the case of both division-winning teams, the play of their quarterbacks was the driving force of their overall success, and any number of angles can be taken when arguing in favor of Jackson or Allen. While the latter sat out the closing minutes of several blowouts this year and only logged one snap in Week 18, both passers offered a strong sample size for MVP evaluation.

Jackson and the Ravens needed a win in Week 18 to clinch the AFC North in part due to their 0-2 start to the year. At the end of the campaign in particular, though, the team’s offense showed signs of improvement with Jackson’s increased passing efficiency on full display. In all, the Louisville product finished with career highs in yards (4,172) and touchdowns (41) through the air coupled with four interceptions. No quarterback in league history has recorded more than 40 passing TDs while also managing fewer than five interceptions.

With those totals in mind, it comes as no surprise Jackson’s passer rating for the season (119.6) also checked in at a career high. That figure not only led the league, but it was the fourth-highest single-season total in NFL history. As usual, Jackson was also impactful in the run game; his 915 rushing yards topped the field amongst quarterbacks while his 6.6 yards per attempt average led the NFL. Shortly put, the raw statistics in most categories point toward a third MVP award.

Allen’s performance is highly impressive on many fronts as well, however. Transitioning to a new receiving corps in the offseason (and, in the case of Amari Cooper, midway through the campaign), he led the Bills to a comfortable AFC East title en route to the conference’s No. 2 seed. A pair of Buffalo’s 13 wins in particular understandably drew major attention around the league. The Bills are responsible for the Chiefs’ only regular season loss in which they played their full lineup as well as one of the Lions’ two defeats. Especially with the latter victory coming in Detroit, it helped Allen’s MVP case and highlighted his stellar campaign.

With 28 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing scores (second most in the league amongst QBs), Allen repeated an unprecedented feat in terms of prolific scoring through the air and on the ground in the same season. While ball security has been the source of criticism in past seasons, he committed only eight in 2024. The Wyoming product’s 14 sacks taken were also by far the fewest of his career. Coupling those numbers with individual moments like his fourth-and-2 touchdown run against Kansas City and the play in which he threw and caught the same TD pass against San Francisco make it easy to foresee Allen’s first MVP nod being a distinct possibility.

The Bills and Ravens met head-to-head in Week 4, with Baltimore earning a comfortable victory. Overall, Jackson’s numbers in games against playoff-caliber opponents outweigh Allen’s, although on the other hand the fact Buffalo finished with a superior record in what was viewed as a transitional year may balance the scales on that front. In any case, the 28-year-old draft classmates have each enjoyed the primes of their careers, and both signal-callers’ résumé’s have been significantly bolstered by the 2024 campaign.

There is precedent for the MVP award to be shared, as that has proven to be the case on two occasions (Brett Favre and Barry Sanders in 1997; Peyton Manning and Steve McNair in 2003). Unless that situation emerges again, though, voters will be met with a Jackson-or-Allen decision. Regarding AP first-team All-Pro nods, Jackson wound up with a 30-18 edge over Allen in terms of votes. That is generally an indication of how the MVP competition will shake out; indeed, as ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg notes, every quarterback named first-team All-Pro since 2013 has also taken home MVP honors.

With all ballots submitted and the countdown on until NFL Honors, how do you see the MVP race ending? Have your say in the comments below.

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