AP's new voting procedure could have major implications on NFL awards

A change is coming to how the Associated Press determines the winners of the annual AP NFL Awards. 

Beginning this season, voters will rank five candidates in Most Valuable Player voting and three candidates in each of the following: Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year and Coach of the Year.

"Our goal is to provide the voters with an accurate and fair voting system to reflect their preferences. These tweaks will help them in their selection process," said AP Global Sports Editor Ricardo Zuniga in a press release.

The statement continues: "This process will more seamlessly allow for AP to name second and third-place finishers."

It will help drum up interest in the results set to be announced during the NFL Honors telecast on Feb. 9, 2023, as it guarantees three finalists even if a player receives every first-place vote like Lamar Jackson did in 2019.

The change in voting procedure affects selections for First- and Second-Team All-Pro candidates as well. 

Prior to this season, voters were allowed to name one player for each award.

It will be interesting to see if the change impacts award results. It opens the door for a player receiving the most first-place votes and not winning MVP. It would take that player ranking fourth and fifth (or not at all) on multiple ballots while another candidate ranks highly on every ballot.

The AP NFL Awards are voted on by 50 national sportswriters. In 2021, Aaron Rodgers won his second MVP in a row with 39 votes. Tom Brady received 10 votes and Cooper Kupp one.

Per OddsChecker, Patrick Mahomes is the current favorite at +130. The other players in the top five are QBs Tua Tagovailoa (+500), Jalen Hurts (+550), Josh Allen (+600) and Lamar Jackson (+1200).