8. Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
If feels like the first three players we're talking about here are all in the same boat. Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers has been awesome to start the 2026 season, and while the Panthers are just 2-2, you can clearly see the growth with Young in year four.
He has played the best football of his career this year, and his ascension does prove how important it is to not only have patience, but to also bring in the right coaching staff. The Panthers defense is shaky, at best, but Young does deserve to be talked about here.
Carolina won the NFC South in 2025 with an 8-9 record, and based on how the teams have looked thus far in the division, Young and the Panthers repeating would not be out of the question. It would likely take a double-digit winning season and another division title for Young to sniff the MVP, but he does have the raw passing production thus far and has unquestionably been the best player on the team through four weeks.
7. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
This is not the only Kansas City Chiefs player on our MVP rankings. Patrick Mahomes does look like the Mahomes of old, which is awesome. The Chiefs are 4-0 and the only unbeaten team in the AFC right now. If the current trend holds, the Chiefs could rebound and win double-digit games after a disappointing 6-11 season last year.
And with Mahomes already having won two MVP awards, in 2018 and 2022, he obviously has the name recognition to be right in the mix, especially if he continues to play well and have those polished-up passing numbers that he had in his earlier years.
Mahomes and the Chiefs might just be all the way back, and it feels impossible not to include him in our MVP ranking right now.
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