ESPN Floats Wild Theory on Broncos QB Brett Rypien as MVP Candidate

Although he's never been voted NFL MVP, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson belongs in the conversation. So, when ESPN's Bill Barnwell floated Wilson as a viable MVP candidate in 2022, no one raises an eyebrow.

Barnwell used Peyton Manning's record-breaking 2013 campaign as a possible precedent for Wilson this season. It makes some sense with all the Manning-era vibes floating around the Mile High City since Wilson arrived.

Perhaps in an exercise of offseason creative writing, Barnwell also floated a far less likely MVP candidate, who happens to sport the Orange and Blue: third-string quarterback Brett Rypien.

For his thesis, Barnwell used Kurt Warner's miraculous, odds-defying 1999 MVP campaign with the then-St. Louis Rams as the historical precedent for Rypien's candidacy for duplicating history.

Now, I know what you're saying: It's preposterous to suggest Rypien could win MVP. So many things would have to happen (and not happen) to clear a path for a guy who looks like he probably isn't an NFL-caliber starting quarterback. And yet, Warner was older, less experienced at the NFL level and had stiffer competition for the would-be starting job in terms of a midround pick. Put that in context and you understand just how remarkable his 1999 season was in the moment.

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Indeed, Warner bounced in and out of the NFL and the Arena League after his collegiate career at Northern Iowa and was thrust onto the NFL stage in 1999 when the Rams' starter, Trent Green, suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason. St. Louis head coach Dick Vermeil threw his support behind Warner, and the Rams rallied around their new QB, who went on to take the league by storm, spawning the 'Greatest Show on Turf.'

The Rams went on to win the Super Bowl that year, with Warner being named the championship game's MVP. He got his perfect fairy tale ending to the most unlikely quarterback season in NFL history. Warner, Vermeil, and a few other Rams from that era, are now enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It took a catastrophic injury to the starter for Warner to get his shot. Broncos Country is knocking on wood in hopes that the injury bug holds no sway on Wilson's 2022 season.

If something were to happen to Denver's nine-time Pro Bowl starter, though, is there any plausible reason to expect Rypien to flourish, let alone, go on a historic romp?

The answer is no.

As much as I can appreciate Rypien's skill set, he's been given the chance to ply his NFL wares, having started a Week 4 game back in 2020, and there's zero evidence to suggest he even comes close to possessing Warner's Hall-of-Fame heart and talent.

Still, articles like Barnwell's make for fun offseason fodder to digest and debate as Broncos Country anticipates Wilson and company's cleats hitting the grass for training camp on July 27.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.

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