Assuming everyone stays healthy, the 2026 NFL MVP race could be one of the most intense in recent memory.
Entering the 2026 season, the league is set to be as competitive as fans have ever seen it. There were already 15 teams with a winning record last season, and out of the teams with a losing record, one of them was a division winner, multiple had major quarterback injuries, and still, 21 teams had 9 losses or fewer.
With breakout players potentially factored in, bounce-back seasons on the horizon, and new stars standing their ground, who are the top MVP candidates going into the 2026 season? Our newest NFL Power Rankings are going to attempt to sort out the top 10 overall.
2026 NFL MVP power rankings: Plenty of threats to Matthew Stafford's crown
10. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
A lot of folks might scoff at this, but Bo Nix is undoubtedly an MVP candidate heading into his 3rd season. What we've seen from Nix in his first two years in the NFL has certainly been polarizing, but he's undoubtedly proven to be one of the most clutch quarterbacks in the NFL.
Over his first two seasons in the NFL, Nix has engineered 11 game-winning drives, including in the playoffs this past season when he led the Broncos to a Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills. We saw just how valuable Nix was to the Broncos after that game, because a fractured ankle kept him out of the AFC Championship.
Nix is a dual threat at the position, he's clutch, and the Broncos added Jaylen Waddle to the mix this year. If he can be more consistent, the MVP -- or even just some votes -- is not completely out of the question
9. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
The running back is not only en vogue again in the NFL today, but some of the league's most dynamic weapons play the position again.
Bijan Robinson might have a case as the most dangerous playmaker in the NFL right now, putting him right in the middle of the league MVP conversation.
Historically speaking, the non-quarterbacks are much more likely to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year, because this award almost always goes to a QB. But for Robinson, the unwritten rules can be broken.
The All-Pro is fresh off of the best season of his NFL career in which he averaged 6.3 yards per touch, the highest average out of three seasons so far despite slightly topping his 365 touches from a season ago (366 in 2025). Robinson accounted for 2,298 yards of offense and 11 total touchdowns. If he can repeat in the yardage department and add another 7 or 8 touchdowns (which is not impossible), he could be an MVP.
8. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
If Christian McCaffrey isn't a viable MVP candidate going into the 2026 season, then the award means nothing.
There are few players more valuable to their team than McCaffrey is to the 49ers, and the proof is there for everyone to see. When McCaffrey is healthy, the 49ers are a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the NFC. When he's not healthy, they're not. It's really as simple as that.
McCaffrey was just selected to his third 1st-team All-Pro team, and now has three seasons at the NFL level with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Considering injuries have been a rather significant part of his story, that's mind-boggling.
He finished 4th in the MVP voting a year ago, so even if he repeats last year's numbers (easier said than done), he will be right back in the conversation.
7. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
MVP voters are going to be watching Patrick Mahomes with great interest this season.
Mahomes is coming off of a serious knee injury, as we all know, so he's not only going to be an MVP candidate, but the strongest contender for Comeback Player of the Year as well. He's the poster-child of the NFL, and because of that, he's going to get a lot of credit if the Chiefs are able to have a bounce-back season.
Although Mahomes is clearly one of the most valuable players in the NFL, he hasn't exactly played up to the MVP standard over the past three seasons. You have to throw more than 22-27 touchdowns to win the award. And Mahomes has done it before, so the chances are, he can do it again.
The question is whether or not he'll be able to do it coming off of injury. If anyone can, it's this guy.
6. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Drake Maye was the NFL MVP runner-up this past season, finishing behind Matthew Stafford after a sensational sophomore season. And the chances are, he's going to be right back in the mix once again, especially with AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs being added to the mix at wide receiver.
The only thing giving me -- and anyone else, in all likelihood -- pause about Maye being an MVP candidate again this year is the stretch of games we saw from him in the playoffs this past year. It was a team effort, all things considered, but Maye finished with the worst playoff pass EPA (-41.2) in the history of Next Gen Stats.
Maye is going to have to prove this season that his playoff stretch was more of a fluke than the regular season he put together where he could seemingly do no wrong.
5. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
If any individual player's hype train is completely out of control at this point, it would have to be Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
Chicago sports fans are absolutely loving life right now. The Chicago Cubs might have the biggest star in the game in Pete Crow-Armstrong. The White Sox have a stellar rookie class, including Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery. The Chicago Bulls might even have a little something going these days with Matas Buzelis becoming a star and Caleb Wilson joining the squad. The Blackhawks have a superstar in Conor Bedard.
The Bears are right there alongside all of the other Chicago pro sports teams.
Williams is the superstar among the superstars. He delivered a tremendous sophomore season in 2025, his first under Ben Johnson. And the expectations in Year 3 are through the roof.
4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Another top candidate for both MVP and Comeback Player of the Year is Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
When Burrow is fully healthy, he's not only an MVP candidate, but the Bengals have to be considered legitimate contenders in the AFC. Except two seasons ago, when the defense was so bad they missed the postseason entirely.
But with an improved defense in 2026, the Bengals have a chance to bounce back and make a ton of noise. And Burrow is simply one of the league's biggest stars. When he's on top of his game, nobody is better at navigating pressure in the pocket and filling up a stat sheet. He can seemingly throw 400 yards and 4 touchdowns in his sleep.
The biggest question mark is obviously his health, but if he's on the field for 17 games, the expectation is always going to be MVP-level play.
3. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
It almost feels dirty to put Stafford down at the 3rd spot on this list after his dominant 2025 season, but the NFL MVP award is all about what you've done for me lately.
Stafford has a great opportunity to win the award in back-to-back seasons, which is difficult -- but obviously not impossible -- to do.
Last season, he was simply on another level we've never seen in his career. Stafford is no stranger to throwing for over 4,000 yards (he averages 4,589 yards per 17 games played over his career, which started back in 2009). He's also not a stranger to throwing over 40 touchdown passes in a season. He's done that three times now.
But one thing Stafford has never been able to do is follow up one MVP-caliber season with another. He threw 41 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards back in the 2011 season, and followed that up with 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions the following year. In his first year with the Rams (2021), he threw 41 touchdown passes and led the team to a Super Bowl win. He played just 9 games the following year and threw 10 touchdowns.
What will happen this season after the best year of his career (46 touchdowns, only 8 interceptions)?
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
It feels like Lamar Jackson is almost always a "safe" bet to win NFL MVP. He's one of the most dominant playmakers in the NFL, and has already won multiple MVP awards. He was probably snubbed of a third MVP in the 2024 season, but regardless, Jackson's credentials speak for themselves.
No quarterback has run for more yards than him in NFL history. He has a ridiculous 6.5 career touchdown percentage, making it look easy as a dual-threat.
It feels like it's simply a matter of staying healthy for Jackson. He's also got a rookie offensive coordinator -- Declan Doyle -- calling the plays this year. That can go pretty much any direction as we've seen with some other teams in similar situations in recent years (Lions in 2025 are a negative example).
Jackson is going to have a chip on his shoulder after a down year in 2025, so he should be right there in the MVP mix once again.
1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has been a finalist for the MVP award in five of the last six seasons. He's got one MVP to his name already, and the 2026 season could be yet another MVP campaign for him.
In three of the past four seasons, Allen has finished no lower than 3rd in the MVP voting. He's one of the top models of consistency around the NFL, and is a dominant playmaker who requires a defense's best effort every single week.
The biggest criticisms of Allen are not his regular season prowess, but his ultimate failures in the postseason. That's where people in the NFL world really want to see him prove his MVP status. One of the downsides to being Superman is that you feel the need to put on your cape all the time, and that has cost Allen in some big moments.
He's still for around 40 total touchdowns (at least) and will absolutely be in the MVP mix once again.