The NFL MVP award has turned into the 'best quarterback' award over the last decade-plus, and while not everyone loves that, it's simply where this league has been trending. There isn't any reason to believe that a QB won't win the award this year, and with that likely coming true, a non-QB winning the MVP could be a long way away.
With the regular season beginning today and featuring the two Super Bowl teams from a year ago, now is a perfect time to dive into our first installment of the MVP stepladder power rankings. This list is going to look a lot different between now and the end of the season, as we don't yet have football to base our analysis on, so this first attempt at the stepladder is based on projections.
But when Week 10 rolls around, for example, this list promises to look different. Let's kick off Week 1 with our first MVP power rankings of the 2026 NFL Season.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 1: Updated MVP stepladder power rankings
10. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs endured a shocking non-playoff season last year. The Chiefs went just 6-8 in Mahomes' 14 starts, and he's now having to deal with a major knee injury. While he is tracking to play in Week 1 and appears to be 100 percent, what we saw in 2025 was simply not anything close to what this team has done in prior seasons.
With that said, Mahomes is a two-time MVP, winning the award in 2018 and 2022. Eric Bieniemy is also back in the picture, replacing Matt Nagy, and, as it would be, Mahomes played the best football of his career with Bieniemy on his side.
While the Chiefs do not have nearly enough competent playmakers to field a threatening offense in 2026, there is still something to be said about Mahomes and the Chiefs that just can't make us quit them.
And while signing Kenneth Walker III at running back was likely not enough to truly unlock this offseason, what if it was...?
9. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence was an MVP candidate, officially, for the 2025 season. The Jacksonville Jaguars won 13 games and captured the AFC South title, and Lawrence went on a tear over the last month and a half of the season.
Lawrence does check all the boxes that you want in a franchise QB. He has an arm that can threaten all levels of the field, and his rushing ability is also more than enough to be productive. Lawrence does also have some stability on offense with Liam Coen clearly being the right man for the job.
While Lawrence and the Jaguars aren't necessarily a big-name team that makes headlines, it'd be hard to vote against the veteran if his back-half of the 2025 season carries over into 2026.
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