With the football season apparently happening, I found myself diving deep into the NFL MVP odds this past weekend, trying to figure out which guy I’m going to go all in on to win the award. Now, I need to preface this with a pretty important tidbit: I suck at sports gambling. Like, legit, I’ve never won anything of significance because I overthink everything, going back and forth about games to pick and prop bets to play. But, as all of you as my witnesses, I’m refusing to do that this year.

Look, 2020 isn’t normal — as we can all attest given the fact that we’ve been isolated from each other for the past five months — so it’s time for me to sack up and decide on a guy who I really, truly, 100 percent believe will win the NFL MVP this upcoming season. And, after looking at the current odds on BetMGM, I landed one dude: Drew Brees.

Go ahead and laugh. Go ahead and call me an idiot. Go ahead and disrespect Brees by reminding me that he’s 41 years old and doesn’t nearly have the dual-threat ability to rack up “holy shit” plays like the past two NFL MVPs; Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. I’m not hearing any of it, because the 13-time Pro Bowler — who even contemplated retirement after last season — is going to win the award. In fact, I’m so confident that I’m dropping $500 on him to do it.

So why am I all in on Drew Brees? While dynamic players like Mahomes, Jackson and Russell Wilson are the favorites, the Saints’ quarterback sits at +1600 right now, which makes gambling on him well worth the risk.

Current NFL MVP Odds, Per BetMGM

• Patrick Mahomes: +375
• Russell Wilson: +600
• Lamar Jackson: +600
• Dak Prescott: +1200
• Drew Brees: +1600
• Tom Brady: +1600
• Deshaun Watson: +1800
• Carson Wentz: +1800
• Aaron Rodgers: +2500
• Kyler Murray: +2500

When you look at those odds, you can’t tell me there’s a better bet than Drew Brees, right?

Mahomes is unbelievable, and is coming off a Super Bowl win. Russell Wilson has never once received an MVP vote (which is absurd), Jackson proved he’s a superstar with his 2019 season that led to the MVP award, and the others are all worthy candidates, but it’s Brees who stands out from the rest. Let’s take a look at why.

We Haven’t Seen Back-To-Back NFL MVP Winners Since 2009

Peyton Manning was the last player to win back-to-back NFL MVP awards (2008, 2009), so here’s to thinking Lamar Jackson won’t be snagging his second-straight — even if he surpasses last season’s ridiculous dual-threat stats. Point blank: He’s set the bar, and voters won’t be blown away this year like they were last year.

That leaves Drew Brees in the front seat as one of the favorites to take home the hardware, and, given the +1600 odds he has, there’s no chance in hell the future Hall of Famer isn’t worth at least $500 of mine. The dude doesn’t have the flashiness of some of these other quarterbacks, but he’s got a lethal right arm that seems to always help him put up video game-like numbers.

Drew Brees Has Tons Of Weapons At His Disposal

Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Emmanuel Sanders, Taysom Hill, Jared Cook; these are all just a handful of weapons Drew Brees has on the offensive side of the ball.

As a quick recap, Thomas finished 2019 with 149 catches, 1,725 yards and 9 touchdowns — and had Teddy Bridgwater as his quarterback for five games. Kamara ended his 2019 campaign with more than 1,300 total yards, and Taysom Hill is a wild card who the Saints use in a hybrid role. Add it all up and it equals plenty of opportunities for Brees to light it up offensively and surpassing the 28.1 points per game the Saints averaged last season.

He Also Faced Tons Of Scrutiny This Offseason

It’s no secret that Brees faced some criticism this offseason after his comments about kneeling during the National Anthem. Among those ripping him were teammates like Thomas and Malcolm Jenkins — who even went as far as telling the quarterback to “shut the fuck up.”

Brees has since apologized and has put some of the lessons he’s learned from others into action. He addressed his teammates in video call, and, reportedly, was near tears when talking to them.

Want to know what great athletes do under such scrutiny? They step the fuck up and let their play silence all the haters — and Brees will no doubt do that this upcoming season. He’s bound for a crazy year statistically, and, because of it, will lead the Saints to 10-12 wins like he normally always does. Fuck Tom Brady, because Drew Brees is the best quarterback in the NFC South.

The Saints Are Still Super Bowl Contenders

Fair or not, the NFL MVP often requires team success; and Brees’ New Orleans Saints are among the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season. According to BetMGM, the Saints have +1200 odds to win the Lombardi Trophy, meaning the quarterback should get plenty of credit should he put up his usual passing numbers. The guy is the league’s all-time leader in both passing yards and passing touchdowns — and has the league’s top receiver in Michael Thomas and one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in Alvin Kamara — so I’ve got a feeling he’ll put up stupid stats.

He’s Never Won The NFL MVP

Can you believe that Drew Brees has never won an MVP award? For fuck’s sake, Matt Ryan has one sitting at home, but Brees doesn’t. That all changes this season, because the 41-year-old is due for one.

Over the past nine seasons, the Saints’ signal-caller has averaged 34.7 touchdowns, 11.7 interceptions and a whopping 4,683 yards. That’s insane. And for those who might think that his best years are behind him, here’s a quick look at Brees’ stats over the past three seasons.

• 2017: 4,334 yards, 23 touchdowns, 8 interceptions
• 2018: 3,992 yards, 32 touchdowns, 5 interceptions
• 2019 (11 games): 2,979 yards, 27 touchdowns, 4 interceptions

The Saints ride the golden right arm of Drew Brees, and I fully believe he’ll lead the league in both passing yards and touchdown passes; book it.

I’m well aware that I’ve sucked at sports gambling since I was born, but fuck that, because Drew Brees is my choice for the NFL MVP this season, and I’m risking $500 for him to prove me right. Now don’t let me down, Drew, ’cause adding $8,000 into my bank account sure sounds like a fucking awesome way to end a miserable calendar year.