Josh Allen has officially been crowned the 2024 NFL MVP by the Associated Press (AP). The award is voted on annually (prior to the playoff season) and received by the player in the league who elevates their team beyond expectations based on many factors. These include personal performance, team success and whether or not the player is a quarterback. Being a quarterback seems to be quite a serious requirement, considering four out of five finalists this year were quarterbacks. The AP MVP award has become a battle of the quarterbacks, and on top of that, there is rarely a thought that a defensive athlete could win. In addition to my issues with the awards pool of athletes, Allen is simply a polarizing winner next to Lamar Jackson.

It is not a matter of whether Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback, should have won MVP instead. Rather, perhaps the winner should not have been Allen. Allen, the Buffalo Bills quarterback, had an exceptional season, showcasing his remarkable skills in a way that has awarded him, albeit controversially, with the elite status of NFL MVP. Highlighted for his ground/air duality, Allen threw for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing 531 yards. I’m all for amazing athletes getting their well-deserved accolades. However, Allen’s performance aligns much more with the accolades of Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY) than MVP.

MVP is generally a debated honor, but the lead contender, the NFL Honors’ darling Baltimore Prince, caused quite a heated debate among fans rounding out the season. The debate is that, in everything Allen does, Jackson does better. Jackson beats Allen in every quarterback stat that matters. He is quite literally, statistically better than this Buffalo diamond. And that is okay! Allen is still a fantastic quarterback, but it is not enough for him to beat Jackson out for three first-place votes. Lamar “Run the Ball” Jackson has two MVPs and three OPOYs under his belt. This season, he had 4,172 passing yards, rushed 915 yards and threw 41 touchdowns. Yet, as a proud and loyal, Maryland-raised Ravens fan, I hate to admit he was not snubbed this year for MVP. Jackson got another well-earned OPOY award, precisely where he should have landed. In a perfect world, I would have put all my money on Joe Burrow for MVP, considering he topped the other quarterbacks in passing stats, according to ESPN, and spoonfed his team every win he could. Unfortunately, placement matters. The Cincinnati Bengals could not pull off a playoff position with that god-awful defense, leaving Burrow to suffer for not being “valuable enough” to take his team into the playoffs or MVP. This year’s MVP should not have been a quarterback at all, which should not be an unusual outcome.

Who should have won, you ask? New Philadelphia Eagle and former Giants’ star, running back Saquon Barkley. The now Super Bowl champion, Barkley is the only non-quarterback finalist for the 2024 MVP. The Eagles would not have made this monumental Super Bowl run had he not popped up in Philadelphia this season. He is the addition the birds needed to send Patrick Mahomes home ringless. But despite scoring 90 points worth of touchdowns and being instrumental in their championship run, he did not receive a single first-place vote. Many analysts argue that Barkley’s contributions to the Eagles’ championship run made him a worthy candidate for MVP. Barkley being overlooked for MVP highlights a troubling trend: MVP voting heavily favors quarterbacks, even when a non-quarterback is the most valuable player on the field.

The most recent case of a non-quarterback MVP was in 2012 when running back Adrian Peterson put up a nearly record-breaking rushing yards total for the season. The last defensive player to win was Lawrence Taylor in 1986. That is ridiculous. If the MVP award continues to be a quarterback-exclusive honor, perhaps it’s time to redefine its criteria. Associated Press could also add a separate “Best Quarterback” award in addition to MVP and OPOY to allow for a more balanced MVP race that recognizes the contributions of game-changing athletes in other positions.

My thoughts on the final ranking:

First, Josh Allen: Great quarterback, but not enough to beat Lamar Jackson for MVP. He is more fitting for OPOY than MVP. He is not the best running quarterback, but he may be the best white running quarterback.

Second, Lamar Jackson: Not snubbed, but still undermined by having Josh Allen be classified as the “better” dual threat while statistically superior to Allen.

Third, Saquon Barkley: A disrespectful snub. I do not appreciate living in a world where he did not win this award. His impact on the Eagles’ Super Bowl season should have been applauded.

Fourth, Joe Burrow: A strong individual performance, but hindered by a team holding him at the bottom of the ocean.

Fifth, Jared Goff: Impressive season, but faced tough competition for MVP.