The Brady-Bruschi MVP Coincidence: Fluke Or Hidden Message?
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- William D
- February 7, 2025
Josh Allen barely defeated Lamar Jackson for the 2024 NFL MVP title, making it one of the most tense and contentious contests in recent memory. History heavily favored Jackson since he was selected First-Team All-Pro, so many people, including the Buffalo Bills quarterback himself, were surprised by Allen’s victory.
Since the MVP title is often given to the All-Pro pick, Jackson’s runner-up result is statistically unusual. The controversy surrounding the MVP award has sparked intense debates among fans and commentators, with many wondering if Jackson was unjustly passed up in spite of his outstanding season with the Baltimore Ravens.
But the drama surrounding MVP voting didn’t end there. Although Allen’s victory was surprising, the official ballots revealed an even more bizarre anomaly. One name stuck out among the 50 voters: Tom Brady. The legendary former New England Patriots player, who is currently a FOX analyst and a co-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, made a very controversial MVP selection.
Although it made sense to rank Jackson and Allen first, he chose Ja’Marr Chase in fourth place, ahead of his own quarterback, Joe Burrow. Wide receivers rarely win MVP awards over quarterbacks who toss them the ball, so this choice was out of the ordinary.
The fact that Brady’s old teammate from the New England Patriots dynasty, Tedy Bruschi, also selected Ja’Marr Chase in fourth place added to the oddity of his selection. With one small exception—he placed Patrick Mahomes sixth rather than Burrow—Bruschi’s ballot was very similar to Brady’s.
Speculation was triggered right away by the two Patriots veterans’ uncanny resemblance. Did they have the same mentality about how they viewed Chase’s efforts, or was it just a coincidence?
Whatever the rationale, it became one of the season’s most bizarre turns of events when both Tom Brady and Tedy Bruschi chose Ja’Marr Chase over Joe Burrow in the MVP vote.
This peculiarity only served to heighten the intrigue surrounding one of the most unusual award outcomes in recent memory, since the NFL MVP race was already full with surprises. Their choices have been a hot topic in the continuing MVP debate, whether it was a deliberate statement or simply a strange coincidence.
Ballots for Brady and Bruschi's MVP
Tom Brady’s ballot was one of the most unexpected when the NFL MVPs were announced. The manner the former New England Patriots quarterback, who is also a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and a FOX analyst, cast his vote instantly sparked controversy. Josh Allen came in second, Saquon Barkley in third, and Lamar Jackson in first place on Brady’s ballot, all of which were logical selections.
But he picked Ja’Marr Chase in fourth place, ahead of his own quarterback, Joe Burrow, who came in fifth. It is uncommon for a wide receiver to be valued more than the quarterback who is delivering him the ball, especially when it comes to MVP voting, so this was a startling move.
The fact that Brady’s former Patriots colleague Tedy Bruschi submitted a ballot that was almost exactly the same as Brady’s made the situation even stranger. Former linebacker and ESPN analyst Bruschi also ranked Josh Allen second, Saquon Barkley third, and Lamar Jackson first.
Ja’Marr Chase, the outstanding wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, was ranked fourth by him, much like Brady, surpassing a number of other well-known prospects.
The sole significant distinction in their ballots, meanwhile, was Bruschi’s choice to place Patrick Mahomes fifth rather than Joe Burrow. Despite this small difference, the remarkable resemblance between their votes sparked conjecture regarding whether their choices were made for a cause or just by accident.
What really set these ballots apart was the argument between Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow. Because they depend so heavily on the quarterback to pass the ball to them, wide receivers are rarely named MVPs. Burrow ought to have been ranked much higher if Chase was worth enough to receive a vote in fourth place.
Brady and Bruschi, in contrast, valued Chase’s contribution more than his quarterback’s, which went against the grain of traditional MVP voting patterns. Both men are former football players with extensive understanding of the game, so their ballots raised debates over whether they were implying Burrow’s overall worth or praising Chase’s unique genius.
Whatever the rationale, the MVP ballots for Brady and Bruschi turned into one of the most peculiar topics of conversation during the 2024 NFL MVP contest. Their choices have sparked continuous discussion, whether it was a strange coincidence or a calculated position on how Ja’Marr Chase should be valued.
Unconventional selections like this might increase in frequency as the NFL MVP voting process develops and gains more latitude. One of the more perplexing aspects of this year’s MVP competition, though, will probably continue to be Brady and Bruschi’s preference for a wide receiver over a standout quarterback, particularly one who throws the ball to him.
THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER 🤩
— ESPN (@espn) February 7, 2025
Josh Allen wins his first MVP award 👏 pic.twitter.com/P5PKOIaN9N
The Reason This Is So Strange
The basic interaction between quarterback and receiver is one of the main reasons Tedy Bruschi and Tom Brady’s MVP selections were so strange. It is very uncommon for a wide receiver to be valued higher than the person tossing them the football because wide receivers rely heavily on their quarterbacks to deliver.
In this instance, Ja’Marr Chase had a fantastic season, but when the quarterback was healthy, Joe Burrow was directly responsible for his success. Burrow should have been ranked even higher, not lower, or excluded completely, as Bruschi did, if Chase was deserving of being ranked fourth in the MVP poll.
Given his own background as a former quarterback, Brady’s choice to rate Chase higher than Burrow is particularly surprising. Brady, who won seven Super Bowls mostly due to his ability to lead offenses and improve his teammates, is one of the few players in NFL history who truly understands the worth of a quarterback.
He is aware that the most useful players on the field are nearly always quarterbacks. Brady defied NFL MVP voting norm by giving Chase a higher ranking than Burrow, therefore implying that the receiver’s contributions were more important to the Bengals’ success than Burrow’s.
The fact that wide receivers hardly ever garner MVP votes is another factor that makes their ballots unique. Because they have a greater direct influence on the game, quarterbacks and, occasionally, running backs have dominated the award.
Jerry Rice was the last wide receiver to come close to earning MVP, but even then, a quarterback won; Rice had to settle for Offensive Player of the Year instead. That was in 1987. Was Chase truly more valuable than his quarterback, despite his stellar season? That’s why it’s so hard to comprehend Brady and Bruschi’s votes.
‼️ MVP JOSH ‼️@JoshAllenQB @Invisalign #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/R1xoJTIQ5l
— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2025
Tom Brady and Tedy Bruschi’s longstanding Patriots ties could be one reason for their MVP selections. They have a strong football bond and probably have similar perspectives on the game because they were once colleagues who won several Super Bowls together in New England.
The nearly identical rankings—particularly the fourth-place placement for Ja’Marr Chase—raise questions, even though it’s unknown if they discussed their MVP ballots in advance. Did they agree on their assessments prior to voting, or was this a coincidence? It’s reasonable to speculate that they discussed their selections given their similar football beliefs and common background.
Brady may have been quietly downplaying Joe Burrow’s significance in the MVP voting, according to another idea. Whether on the field or as a commentator after retirement, Brady has never been afraid to make audacious claims. Could Brady be implying that he doesn’t believe all of the Burrow hype by giving Chase a higher score than Burrow?
Brady has recently been more outspoken in his endorsement of Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, even though Burrow is regarded as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. This ballot might subtly imply that Burrow is good but not the real reason the Bengals are successful.
It’s always possible, of course, that Brady and Bruschi actually think Chase had a greater influence this season than Burrow. Even when Burrow was injured or unavailable, Chase was one of the NFL’s most dominant wide receivers and would frequently make big catches.
In games where he contributed even with backup quarterbacks on the field, they might have considered Chase to be the Bengals’ most valuable player. However, this would be an unusual perspective, particularly from Brady, a quarterback who is aware of how important the position is to the success of the club.
Is everything really a coincidental coincidence? There will inevitably be statistical oddities with 50 MVP voters, and perhaps Brady and Bruschi simply happened to share similar opinions. But does anything Brady does ever seem arbitrary in light of his past?
Their votes have generated one of the most bizarre discussions in recent NFL MVP voting history, whether on purpose or not. If nothing else, it demonstrates that Tom Brady continues to garner attention in the NFL community even after he retires.
With the introduction of a new voting mechanism intended to provide voters greater flexibility and lessen the influence of outlier ballots, the 2024 NFL MVP contest got even more uncertain. There had been worries in past years that the voting process may produce strange or contentious votes, like Tony Dungy’s one vote for Bobby Wagner or other strange choices.
In order to facilitate more diverse votes and viewpoints, the goal of this new method was to persuade voters to think more widely and evaluate a greater variety of candidates. However, it appears that rather than getting rid of odd votes, the system created even more peculiarities, such as Tom Brady and Tedy Bruschi giving Ja’Marr Chase a higher score than Joe Burrow.
Fans and observers were left perplexed by the 2024 MVP race’s many surprises. The fact that Lamar Jackson was named to the First Team All-Pro but did not win MVP was one of the most peculiar. Jackson’s fourth-place finish sparked a lot of curiosity because historically, being named to the First-Team All-Pro has been almost a certainty that a player would win MVP.
Although Josh Allen won the award in a close battle, his outstanding season with the Baltimore Ravens was generally recognized. The impression that the 2024 MVP vote was full of unexpected results was strengthened by this result.
The race became much more bizarre after Josh Allen unexpectedly won MVP. Many were startled by his triumph over Lamar Jackson and others, even though he was discussed throughout the season. Despite Allen’s outstanding season, it wasn’t anticipated that he would win, especially in light of Jackson’s All-Pro selection.
This unexpected outcome was exacerbated by the peculiarities of the MVP voting, including Brady and Bruschi’s odd choices, which demonstrated that the 2024 MVP voting had turned into one of the most unusual contests in recent memory.
The 2024 MVP contest was unpredictable due to a number of unusual votes. For instance, offensive linemen were given votes, which is practically unprecedented in MVP voting. Because there were more options under this new approach, non-quarterbacks and non-running backs’ names started to show up on the ballot.
It’s obvious that the 2024 NFL MVP race was one of the most bizarre in recent memory due to the numerous unexpected choices made during the voting process, and Brady and Bruschi’s odd ballots only made things more chaotic.