Matthew Stafford, the NFL’s MVP in 2025, confirmed he’s coming back to the Los Angeles Rams next season. But what are his chances to win a second consecutive MVP trophy in 2026?
The NFL hasn’t seen a back-to-back MVP winner since Aaron Rodgers did it in 2020 and 2021 – when Rodgers was 37 and 38 years old.
Stafford, who won his first league MVP at 37 last week, could be in the mix again, but early odds have him on the outside looking in for 2026. DraftKings and FanDuel have Stafford at +1400 odds, just days after Super Bowl 60 this week.
Here are players considered early favorites for the 2026 NFL MVP award:
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen
- Odds to win: +550 on DraftKings; +600 on FanDuel
- Josh Allen will have a familiar face as his new coach after Joe Brady was elevated from offensive coordinator, so continuity won’t be an issue. However, Allen’s health must not fail him like it did toward the end of last season when he led the Bills to an overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the postseason. Allen, who won the award in 2024, finished third in MVP voting in 2025.
Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
- Odds to win: +650 on DraftKings; +750 on FanDuel
- Lamar Jackson will rely on new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to bounce back in 2026. The two-time MVP (2019 and 2023) had a subpar 2025 season to say the least, averaging 196.1 passing yards with 21 touchdown passes – both figures that were his lowest since 2022. He also missed four games due to various injuries last season.
New England Patriots QB Drake Maye
- Odds to win: +850 on FanDuel; +1000 on DraftKings
- Drake Maye might have lost Super Bowl 60, but impressively finished behind Stafford for the MVP in 2025. Maye led the NFL with a 113.5 passer rating, a 77.1 QBR and a completion percentage of 72 percent last season. A tougher schedule may be on the horizon, but Maye and the Patriots should be able to ride their momentum into 2026.
Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow
- Odds to win: +1000 on DraftKings; +1000 on FanDuel
- Maybe Joe Burrow can find his love for the game again in 2026. Hopefully he can also stay healthy. Burrow missed most of the 2025 season with a turf toe injury, but still finished with 17 touchdowns and 1,809 yards in eight games.
Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert
- Odds to win: +1000 on DraftKings, +1100 on FanDuel
- Justin Herbert will have a new offensive coordinator in former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. Hopefully, he has some better protection in 2026 after being sacked 60 times (second behind Maye, 68) last season.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
- Odds to win: +1000 on DraftKings, +1100 on FanDuel
- While Patrick Mahomes is optimistic to return by the start of next season, it’s unclear how healthy and effective he will be after his 2025 season ended in mid-December following a torn ACL and LCL to his left knee.
Next in line for 2026 NFL MVP odds, per DraftKings
- Dak Prescott (+1300)
- Matt Stafford (+1400)
- Jordan Love and Caleb Williams (+1500)
- Brock Purdy (+1800)
- Jayden Daniels and Trevor Lawrence (+2000)
- Jalen Hurts (+2200)
- Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield (+2800)
- Bo Nix and Jared Goff (+3500)
- C.J. Stroud and Jaxson Dart (+4500)
- Cam Ward and Daniel Jones (+5500)
- J.J. McCarthy (+8000)
- Michael Penix Jr., Malik Willis, Tyler Shough, Aaron Rodgers (+10000)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NFL MVP odds: Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson among favorites