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Who will win NFL MVP this season? It should come as no surprise that quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson are the favorites to win Most Valuable Player in 2026. Even the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams are generating buzz. However, we wanted to go a bit deeper with some wild-card selections who could earn MVP votes this fall. Let’s dive into our dark-horse NFL MVP candidates for the upcoming season. Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers This is definitely the least ‘bold’ of our picks on this list. After all, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy finished fourth in NFL MVP voting in 2023, and some of his numbers last season (100.5 passer rating, 2 game-winning drives, 55.3% Success Rate, 7% passing touchdown rate and 69.4% completion rate) look very reminiscent of that remarkable year. In 2026, there is also less credit to be handed out to his skill group since George Kittle is coming off a torn Achilles, Mike Evans is injury-prone and every other 49ers receiver is unproven. Purdy can put San Francisco back on top of the NFC again, and if he does, the arguments that prevented him from winning MVP a few years ago are largely gone. Kyler Murray, QB, Minnesota Vikings During that unexpected 14-3 season for the Minnesota Vikings, Sam Darnold boasted a 35-12 TD-INT line with 4,153 passing yards, a 68.1 percent completion rate and held a 106.4 passer rating while averaging 8.2 yards per attempt entering Week 18. He was a top-five MVP candidate when, just months earlier, everyone would’ve rather had Kyler Murray (64-29 TD-INT, 67.7% completion rate and 94.5 passer rating through first four seasons) as their starting quarterback. All of this is to say that Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell can do wonders with the right passer and Minnesota arguably has the best group of receivers in the NFL. We’ve also seen MVP-caliber play from Murray for long stretches of a season before. He could easily throw double-digit interceptions and Minnesota finishes last in the NFC North, but the ceiling here is also absurdly high. Will Anderson Jr, EDGE, Houston Texans Myles Garrett garnered some NFL MVP consideration in 2025 for his record-breaking season, and the biggest knock on him was the Cleveland Browns’ 5-12 record. So, the future Hall of Famer landing with the Los Angeles Rams would certainly seem to improve his odds of becoming the first defensive player to win NFL MVP since Lawrence Taylor in 1986. However, the Rams finished 12-5 last season, and it is reasonable to think credit for topping that would be split between Garrett, Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua. Instead, we will highlight edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. as the wild-card defensive pick. If the Houston Texans finish the regular season atop the AFC, it will be thanks to the league’s best defense, and Anderson Jr. is at the center of that. The All-Pro defensive player will probably need 20-plus sacks, well above the 12 he had in 2025, but he is one of the best pass rushers in football. If he takes another step forward in his fourth year and everything goes right for Houston, he will earn MVP votes at a minimum. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions A running back hasn’t won NFL MVP since 2012 (Adrian Peterson), and the Minnesota Vikings star was the first to do it since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006. Two MVP winners at running back in the last two decades highlight why the odds don’t bode well for it to happen again in a passing league. However, there are a few factors that could give Jahmyr Gibbs a shot at it. First, the Detroit Lions are talented enough to earn the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and doing so would mean both overcoming their defense and dominating the best division in the NFL. Furthermore, with David Montgomery gone, Gibbs will be more of a proverbial bell cow now for this Lions offense. If he puts up 2,000 scrimmage yards and 20 total touchdowns with Detroit winning the NFC’s No. 1 seed, Gibbs could win NFL MVP. Related: NFL Division Ranking 2026 Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars As with some of our other dark-horse NFL MVP candidates, finishing atop the conference at the end of the regular season would be crucial for Trevor Lawrence. We know plenty of NFL fans who still believe the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback has never lived up to the hype and media buzz, so we’ll remind them that Lawrence put up a 15-1 TD-INT ratio with a 113.2 passer rating and averaged 8.3 yards per attempt with a 6-0 record at the end of last season. Now in his second season with head coach Liam Coen and having greater rapport with Jakobi Meyers, MVP-caliber production over a full 17-game season could be next.