1. Let me first say, I thought Josh Allen should have won the MVP award this season. I’m also a huge Allen fan on and off the field. If you heard his speech at the NFL Honors event or saw the video the Buffalo Bills posted on Thursday after winning the award, I don’t know how you can’t be a fan of the guy.
MVP MVP MVP 👏@BuffaloBills' Josh Allen wins the AP Most Valuable Player Award 🏆 pic.twitter.com/EC5Ocf3uE6
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) February 7, 2025
We’re all so proud of you.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) February 7, 2025
Congratulations to our MVP, @JoshAllenQB. 🥹 #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/DundQ1w9rG
Having said that, winning the MVP award should be taken with a grain of salt when you see who actually votes for the category.
If you have read this column or my old Hot Clicks column regularly, you know that I have said a million times that it’s ridiculous to get worked up over things like the Hall of Fame and MVP voting because some of the people who vote either have no credibility (like the person who didn’t vote for Ichiro Suzuki for the National Baseball Hall of Fame this year) or just don’t know what they are doing.
In the case of NFL MVP, the problem is more about who doesn’t get a vote than who does.
It was legitimately stunning to see the group who votes on the MVP via this Peter Schrager tweet Friday morning.
In an act of complete transparency, the AP has posted a) who every MVP voter is and b) their complete ballot.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) February 7, 2025
1-5.
All here at https://t.co/X6IjtEiZNn
Heavy is the crown.
This group could not be more random. In addition, there are about five or six people on the list that make you really scratch your head. Tom Brady has a vote (which is fine) but not one other game analyst has a vote. Mike Tirico has a vote, but no other play-by-play person has a vote.
When I think of the true voices of the NFL, the reporters who cover the league inside and out, most of them are missing from this list.
Schrager also lets us know that nobody with the NFL Network gets a vote, which makes no sense whatsoever. If Brady, who has ownership in a team, can vote then why can’t people from the NFL Network have a vote?
The AP is in charge of selecting the voters. Those affiliated w the league and NFL Network do not have votes. Don't shoot the messenger on who or how this award is decided by. I'm saying I respect the transparency of posting the ballots. https://t.co/VeuzXQmoTi
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) February 7, 2025
This is not to take anything away from Allen. I just want to remind all of you to never get worked up about things that get voted on in sports.
2. It’s fascinating to see how numb the sports world has become to LeBron James’s greatness. The King turned 40 years old in December. Against the Warriors last night, James has 42 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists. AT 40 YEARS OLD.
And he did this. AT 40 YEARS OLD.
LEBRON'S 3RD STRAIGHT 3... THIS ONE FROM THE LOGO 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/Rh1HrdCOH0
— NBA (@NBA) February 7, 2025
3. This is an absolutely insane Super Bowl betting nugget.
What drives the US betting market nowadays?
— Brad Allen (@BradAllenNFL) February 7, 2025
There are more tickets on Saquon Barkley to score a TD @CaesarsSports than on the moneyline and spread for both teams combined, per CZR VP of trading Craig Mucklow
4. I’ve always said I don’t understand why Kevin Durant would ever use Twitter, but I was glad he did on Thursday when I saw him respond, in classic KD fashion, to ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, who claimed that he was the leader of the Thunder team that featured Perkins, Durant and Russell Westbrook.
I know this may be a reach but this comment is by far the craziest shit I’ve seen this week https://t.co/kNbncZhIUH
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 6, 2025
5. I’ll be here for you Monday with a new podcast and new column.
#The2025SuperBowl is predicted to cause record workplace absenteeism, with an estimated 22.6 million US employees planning to miss work on the Monday after the game.
— Customer Experience Magazine (@TheCXMagazine) February 6, 2025
Read the full story on our website 👇https://t.co/mPubOUqSlo
6. A brand-new SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast dropped Thursday morning, and this week’s show is an All-Traina Thoughts edition with Sal Licata from WFAN.
This week’s topics include Super Bowl LIX between the Eagles and Chiefs: Has this matchup fallen flat with sports fans? Has Chiefs fatigue hurt excitement for the game? How different would the buzz be if the Lions and/or Bills were in the game? Plus, we talk about prop bets, which team we like to win the game and why the Super Bowl doesn’t feel like a real game.
Other topics discussed during the podcast include the Luka Doncic–Anthony Davis trade, a must-watch Saturday Night Live special and my Curb Your Enthusiasm rewatch. In addition, Sal gives a full recap of his recent cataract surgery.
The show closes with me reading and reacting to recent Apple reviews from listeners of SI Media With Jimmy Traina.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: We used to live in a time, 20 years ago to be exact, when this was a Super Bowl commercial.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The List of People Who Vote for NFL MVP Is So Bizarre.
