The 2026 NFL season is poised to be one of the best in recent memory.
It feels like this is the deepest we've seen all eight divisions around the NFL, some of the most stacked quarterback play we've had around the league, and the level of competition has ramped up significantly with established powerhouse teams, newcomers over the past two seasons, and potential breakout teams in 2026.
Our newest NFL Power Rankings are going to attempt to sort out the impossible: The best MVP candidates from each division. There are so many qualified players around the league, including multiple in some divisions, but we're picking the top 8 MVP candidates from each division heading into the 2026 season.
NFL Power Rankings: MVP candidates from every division in 2026, ranked
8. NFC South: Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons
Bijan Robinson is the only non-quarterback on this list (spoiler alert). It's extremely difficult for non-quarterbacks in today's NFL to win the league MVP award, but if any non-QB can do it this year, Bijan Robinson is on a short list of real candidates.
The Falcons' offense will be having a quarterback competition during training camp, but no matter who wins that competition, we can expect Robinson to be the focal point of the offense regardless.
Robinson is fresh off of back-to-back seasons with at least 1,400 rushing yards, and he had over 2,200 yards from scrimmage last season. He has 25 total touchdowns over the past two seasons combined, but it's going to take some monstrous numbers to win league MVP.
This is a division without a true MVP-caliber quarterback unless Baker Mayfield or Bryce Young shows a level of consistency that we simply haven't seen up to this point. Robinson could make a strong case for himself as the league MVP if he puts up video game-like numbers and the Falcons somehow win the division.
7. AFC South: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
There are a number of players around the NFL who simply don't get their due credit, and Trevor Lawrence is one of them.
Although he was a #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft and already has a big-money contract extension, it feels like Lawrence is one of the most underrated players in the league. He's obviously been part of some really rough Jaguars teams, but he's also proven to be one of the most dynamic players at the position when he's fully healthy.
Down the stretch this past season, there might not have been a hotter quarterback in the NFL. From Week 10 through the end of the season, he was on pace for a 40 passing TD, 10 rushing TD season. Putting up 50 total touchdowns would absolutely have just about anyone in the MVP conversation. Of course, you can extrapolate anybody's best stretch and make a case, but there's reason to believe Lawrence can build on the second half he had last season.
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