3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Speaking of Jackson, the two-time MVP honestly should have a third. Jackson is the best dual-threat QB of all-time and already has the most rushing yards by a QB in NFL history.
Jackson has married being a high-end passer with borderline-RB1 production, which is not a sentence that should be typed out, but that's how special Jackson is.
With a new era in town and the possibility that the Ravens simply aren't as injured to begin the season, there is a clear path for Jackson to position himself right back near the top of the MVP hierarchy, as he has done many prior years.
2. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford won the MVP award in the 2025 season. Why can't he do it again in 2026? Aaron Rodgers won the MVP award in his late-30s two years in a row in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, so there is history to back this up.
Stafford helped the Los Angeles Rams sport the top scoring offense in the league last year, and with many of the same players returning, the Rams clearly felt comfortable in running it back, and with how excellent Stafford was last year, I don't see a reason why he can't repeat as the league MVP and further cement his future Hall of Fame status,
1. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow has two 4th-place MVP finishes, coming in the 2022 and 2024 seasons. Burrow finally seems to have a solid defense, as the Cincinnati Bengals front office went out and got very aggressive on that side of the ball this offseason.
And I don't think I need to explain why Burrow would be able to put up good enough numbers to get into the conversation - he's done it before and might be the best processor in the NFL. Yes, he's struggled to stay on the field in recent years, but a likely improved defense should give the offense more opportunities in ideal situations to thrive,
Burrow is an elite player at the position, period, and if the defense is simply league average this year, the Bengals will stack a ton of wins, and Burrow could walk away with the MVP award.
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