5. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert is in a similar boat to Love. Herbert has been consistently solid since entering the league back in 2020, but he's really not been anything more than that. He and the Los Angeles Chargers have been rather unspectacular in the playoffs, and despite checking all the boxes for the prototypical franchise quarterback, you always get the sense that Herbert left a bit of meat on the bone.
With Mike McDaniel now in and calling the plays as the offensive coordinator, his offensive genius might be what finally unlocks Herbert and helps him hit that elite tier.
4. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos finished the regular season with 14 wins, and Nix himself turned into the most clutch quarterback in the league. While the raw passing production was not there, the Broncos also struggled at wide receiver and tight end. The team had over 40 drops and simply did not have a go-to weapon.
Jaylen Waddle should help all of that flatten out in a great way for 2026. Nix is also surrounded by an elite offensive line, top-3 defense, and one heck of a coaching staff. There really isn't a reason to believe that Nix can't win the MVP when you look at the personnel surrounding him.
3. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff has been a high-end passer for the Detroit Lions the past four seasons, not throwing fewer than 29 touchdown passes during this stretch. Goff is consistently awesome, but the one thing that does go against him is that he's not really a highlight reel playmaker. Goff is far from a dual-threat quarterback, as he plays more of the 'traditional' pocket passer game.
He's quite good at it, and if the Lions can figure out the defense, and Goff can again top 30 touchdown passes and 4,000 yards, he could garner some MVP attention.
2. Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
Drake Maye led quarterbacks in completion percentage, passer rating, and QBR in the 2025 season. He also finished second in MVP voting, so seeing as Maye has nearly won this award in 2025, he could finish the job and win it in 2026. With the New England Patriots schedule getting a lot harder, Maye's production could take a hit, but there's also a chance that Maye is simply an excellent, elite quarterback.
He's big, mobile, and has the arm talent to make all the throws on the field.
1. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow is a special quarterback, and now that the Cincinnati Bengals overhauled the defense this offseason, the Bengals might now be one of the most complete teams on paper. The team has not made the playoffs since 2022, but they've advanced to the AFC Championship Game in both Burrow-playoff seasons, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2021.
Burrow is an extremely capable passer and can obviously be a very high-volume quarterback. Even with an average defense, Burrow and the offense would get many more opportunities on the field to produce, and that defense improving could also add several more wins in the win column, which could be a major factor in Burrow potentially winning his first MVP in 2026.
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