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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Andrew Gamble

NFL urged to give Tom Brady lifetime award as Vernon Kay heaps praise on retired icon

Tom Brady has sensationally been backed to win the MVP award "for life" as the ultimate tribute to the retired NFL legend.

Last week, Brady announced his retirement from the NFL after 23 seasons. He won seven Super Bowls over an illustrious career that spanned two decades with the New England Patriots - where he won six of his championships - and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady is also a three-time MVP thanks to his incredible run with the Pats. The 45-year-old became the first unanimous winner in the award’s history back in 2010 - sandwiched between his triumphant years of 2007 and 2017 - before Lamar Jackson followed his lead in 2019.

Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes is the favourite to win the 2022 MVP at NFL Honours on Thursday night. If he wins, it will be the second time the quarterback has claimed the coveted award after he won it in his first year as a starter back in 2018.

Mahomes has enjoyed a stellar campaign en route to his third Super Bowl appearance in four years. The 27-year-old threw for 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns while he compiled a rating of 105.2 across the regular season to ultimately pull away from Jalen Hurts, who suffered an untimely shoulder injury while being the frontrunner fro the award himself.

However, sports presenter Vernon Kay - a passionate NFL follower who played alongside Washington Commanders star Efe Obada for the London Warriors - believes Brady should be honoured with a fourth MVP. He insisted this would be a legacy award to celebrate Brady’s illustrious career.

Tom Brady played for the New England Patriots for two decades before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 (Elise Amendola/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

“I’m a defensive guy, so when it comes to MVP I don’t really look at it because it’s boring - it’s always the quarterback,” Kay exclusively told Mirror Sport. “I get they’re the guys that run the team and make the big money, but it’s boring that that is how the NFL has developed.

“It’s less physical than it used to be, changing the aggressiveness and physicality of the sport - it’s more about flair now. It’s a quarterback’s game and we saw how important the position is in the NFC Championship Game when the San Francisco 49ers fell apart against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“There’s no-one who stands out ahead of the quarterback because defensive players cannot do what they’re supposed to do anymore. It grinds my gears, but players who are exciting - Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts - deserve the MVP.

“However, just cause he’s retired, I say give it Tom Brady. He can be the MVP of the NFL for life.”

Vernon Kay was speaking on behalf of 888sport .Place a Super Bowl Bet Builder with 888sport and get your money back if it loses. TCs apply. 18+. Please gamble responsibly.

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