NFL execs predict 2026 award winners: MVP, top rookies, more

As the 2026 NFL season prepares for its Week 1 kickoff, a wave of predictions from league executives and sports analysts has emerged regarding the season's major awards. A primary point of contention is the Most Valuable Player award, with various high-profile quarterbacks emerging as top candidates. According to reports from Bleacher Report and CBS Sports, Joe Burrow has been identified as a runaway favorite and the predicted winner in a poll of executives. Other leading contenders for the MVP title mentioned in coverage from ESPN include Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, while FOX Sports is specifically questioning if Dak Prescott will win the award for the first time in his career. Multiple sports media outlets are providing detailed breakdowns of these projections. CBS Sports has highlighted specific best bets for the awards, while FTN (For the Numbers) has categorized the potential winners from favorites to longshots.

ESPN is reporting on the divergence between position groups, noting that while quarterbacks dominate the MVP conversation, non-quarterbacks are currently leading the odds for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Additionally, SB Nation has extended its coverage beyond the MVP and rookie categories to include predictions for Coach of the Year, indicating a comprehensive effort across the sports media landscape to forecast the 2026-27 honors. The current timing of these predictions is critical as they precede the start of the regular season, serving as a benchmark for executive and expert expectations. The coverage emphasizes a concentration of talent at the quarterback position for the MVP race, but suggests different dynamics for other honors. For example, CBS Sports specifically points toward Will Anderson Jr. as a key figure to watch for the Defensive Player of the Year award. This forecasting period allows analysts from Yahoo Sports and other outlets to establish baseline expectations for player performance and team success before any official games are played in the 2026 calendar year.

Future developments will likely center on how these early predictions align with actual on-field performance as the season progresses. Observers will be watching to see if Joe Burrow can maintain his status as the favorite among executives or if the competition from Allen and Jackson shifts the odds. The focus will also remain on whether the non-quarterbacks currently favored for Offensive Rookie of the Year can sustain their lead. Because these predictions were released just prior to Week 1, the immediate results of the opening games will provide the first set of data to validate or challenge the picks made by the NFL executives and experts.