In 2009, Peyton Manning became the only player in NFL history to win four Most Valuable Player awards. In 2013, Manning became the only player in NFL history to win the award five times.
Now Manning is the favorite to become the first player to win six MVPs.
The offshore sports book Bovada is taking bets on the 2014 regular-season MVP in the NFL, and Manning, with 3-1 odds, is a significant favorite. Considering that Manning has won the MVP in five of his last 10 seasons, taking Manning at 3-1 odds may actually be a pretty good bet.
After Manning, the top MVP candidates according to Bovada are, in order, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford. The top non-quarterback candidates are LeSean McCoy, Adrian Peterson and Calvin Johnson, all at 25-1. Johnny Manziel, the only rookie on the board, is listed at 100-1.
As for Manning, he could become just the fifth player in the history of North American sports to win six MVPs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the only player to win six MVPs in the NBA. Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky are the only players to win six MVPs in the NHL. Barry Bonds (perhaps with an asterisk) is the only player to win six MVPs in Major League Baseball. Manning is in some very elite company.