The NFL will announce the winners of the official awards for the 2022 season at its Thursday night Honors show. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes won’t attend, but he’s a finalist for the two biggest awards.
Mahomes is expected to win the Associated Press’ MVP award after earning first-team All-Pro honors.
He is one of 32 players -- one from each team -- nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year. The award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field.
“I think it gives you a great appreciation of this sport, man,” Mahomes said Wednesday when asked about being a finalist for the two awards. “The hard work you put in every single and playing these last few years and not being up for the award, I think it gives me even better appreciation. It’s something at the end of my career, I want to look back and say, ‘Man, I was able to win the MVP once and hopefully have a chance to win it again this year,’ and then, maybe more importantly than that, the Walter Payton Man of the Year. It’s something that takes more than just me. I have so many people who help me with my foundation to help run it. You want to give back and make Kansas City a better than when you got there. But it speaks to the people I have around me and the community that I live in that I’m able to give back to Kansas City so much, and I’m honored to even be up for this award.”
Mahomes won his first MVP award in 2018. Peyton Manning has a record five MVPs, and Aaron Rodgers has won the award four times, including the past two. Four players have won it three times, and Joe Montana, Steve Young and Kurt Warner won it twice.
So, only nine players have ever won league MVP more than once.
“I never say I’m chasing a player. I’m chasing that I don’t want to have any regrets when I step off this football field,” Mahomes said. “I understand how lucky I am to be in this organization. I understand how lucky I am to play with guys who are going to be Hall of Famers. When I look back at the end of my career, I don’t want to look back and be like, ‘Man, I didn’t give everything I had to win Super Bowls because of the great people I have around me, and so, when I get done with my career, I want to make sure that I know that I gave everything I had on that football field.”
Mahomes also has a chance to win a second Super Bowl MVP. Only five players ever have won multiple Super Bowl MVP awards led by Tom Brady’s five.