NFL: 25 wide receivers that should have been league MVP

NFL wide receivers that should have been league MVP: 24. Odell Beckham Jr., 2016

During the peak of his career, there was nobody like Odell Beckham Jr. when he was with the New York Giants. His rookie season, he was electric. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year, but the Giants finished the season 6-10. They finished with the same record in 2015 despite Beckham getting 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns. Beckham was doing everything he could to make a move in the standings.

That finally happened in 2015. Beckham caught 101 balls for 1,367 yards and 10 touchdowns. He led the league in yards per touch with 13.5. Eli Manning threw to Beckham early and often, with 169 passes going his way. He was the key to the Giants offense.

Just think about what this Giants team was. It was an offense led by Eli Manning with a running game led by Rashad Jennings and a wide receiver crew that also had a past his prime Victor Cruz and nothing else. This was also a team that had Ben McAdoo as its head coach. The only reason this team got into the playoffs is off the back of Beckham. Isn’t that a reason to name someone MVP?

Beckham was the driving force in getting the Giants into the playoffs this season. He got a little flack for his frustrations boiling over, and that media attention might have taken his chance away from being the MVP. However, some epic performances are hard to ignore. He had 222 yards against the Baltimore Ravens which were crucial in the team’s win that ended a three-game losing streak. He caught a game-winning 61-yard touchdown against the Cowboys, which would be the Giants only touchdown of the game. He had one of his signature one-handed touchdown catches against the Lions in Week 15. This led to the Giants’ ninth win of the season. He was the reason the Giants made the playoffs despite how the media covered him that season.