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2026 NFL season: Top 10 contenders for Comeback Player of the Year Whether it’s returning from a debilitating injury, restoring past greatness or jumping off the couch and into the fray, comeback stories are beloved by many. Fortunately for the NFL masses, there is no shortage of comeback tales to be told in the 2026 season. The Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year was first awarded in 1963 -- to a kicker. Last season, Christian McCaffrey earned the accolade, returning from an injury-shortened 2024 to turn in a stellar campaign for the 49ers. The award was handed out from 1963 to 1966, and then not again until 1998, but over the years, the honor has gone to some of the game’s greatest ever (Lenny Moore, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning among them). So, who will be recognized at NFL Honors in February of 2027? Let’s take a look at the top 10 candidates -- and maybe a couple more. Coming back from: Torn ACL/LCL. The three-time Super Bowl winner seems poised to return from December knee surgery for the Chiefs' season opener, which has always been his goal (or obsession). That alone is astounding. However, there’s more -- much more. Mahomes’ passing numbers in 2025 (3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns, 62.7 completion percentage, 89.6 rating) were each career lows as a starter. So too were his six wins as a starting QB, with the Chiefs failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014. It’s not an overstatement to opine that NFL history resides on Mahomes’ comeback. The magnificent Mahomes is one of the greatest talents the football world has ever seen, a certain Hall of Famer after less than a decade in the game. He has captained the league’s most recent dynasty. Is that dynasty dead? Or was 2025 merely the turning point to set the stage for another brilliant saga? Mahomes has claimed six Pro Bowl selections, a pair of first-team All-Pro nods, three Super Bowl MVPs and two NFL MVPs. He is no stranger to awards. If the magician returns for another awe-inspiring act this season, Comeback Player of the Year might not be the only accomplishment he’s celebrating. Notable: Seventeen of the last 25 Comeback Player of the Year winners have been quarterbacks. Coming back from: Torn Achilles. Often times, the best stories take time to build. An often-maligned figure with the New York Giants, who picked him sixth overall in 2019, Jones was released in 2024. He joined the Minnesota Vikings that season but was never active, and in 2025 was signed by the Colts to compete with Anthony Richardson. Not only did he win the starting job, but he was scintillating from the start of the season. The Colts were darlings of the league. Then the wheels came off, and Jones was hobbled. First, it came out that he was playing through a broken fibula. Then, he tore his Achilles in Week 14. Amazing comebacks are prevalent in 2026, but Jones apparently will be ready to play in Week 1, which is next door to shocking. Indy got off to a 7-1 start last year with Jones at the reins. He looked every bit like a franchise signal-caller and just as much like a potential Comeback Player of the Year. The Colts didn’t win a game without Jones last season. This could be the year that Jones completes his comeback arc. Notable: Last season, Christian McCaffrey snapped a seven-year streak of QBs winning Comeback Player of the Year. The run began with the last Colt to garner the accolade: Andrew Luck. Coming back from: Knee/hamstring/elbow injuries. The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year cleared the injury hurdle this offseason, but his ability to stay healthy and reclaim the phenomenal form of his first year will likely tell the story of the 2026 Commanders. Daniels led the resurrection of the Washington franchise as a rookie, quarterbacking the team to its first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991. Then came 2025, a season marred by injuries for Daniels and a free fall back to earth for the Commanders, who went 5-12 -- the exact opposite of their record in the feel-good 2024 campaign. After ailments limited Daniels to just seven games and only two wins as a starter, the player who seemed like an instant D.C. savior must put his cape back on. As a passer and runner, Daniels had 4,459 yards of offense and 31 offensive TDs in 2024. Will that Daniels be back? Notable: The only Washington player to win Comeback Player of the Year was Alex Smith in 2020. "GMFB" share their Top 5 most interesting people in NFC East. Coming back from: Foot injury/release from Cardinals. Once viewed as the savior of the Cardinals franchise, Murray’s seven seasons with Arizona came to an unceremonious end when he was released in March. He played just five games in 2025, hobbled by a foot injury and sullied by play that was hardly stellar. He quickly signed with the Vikings this offseason, aiming to resurrect his career under head coach Kevin O’Connell, who has previously coaxed Pro Bowl-caliber play from Kirk Cousins and a stunning career rally from Sam Darnold. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft is still just 29, has a pair of Pro Bowls on his résumé, an array of receiving talent around him and a potential kingmaker at coach. If Murray ushers the Vikings back into the postseason after a disappointing 2025, it might be time for Comeback Kyler at NFL Honors. Notable: No Vikings player -- or Cardinals player, for that matter -- has ever won Comeback Player of the Year. Three of the last six winners (Joe Burrow in 2021, 2024; Alex Smith in 2020) were former No. 1 overall picks, like Murray. Coming back from: Torn ACL/meniscus procedure. Sent to the Packers in a 2025 offseason blockbuster, Parsons didn’t disappoint in Year 1 with Green Bay. He posted 12.5 sacks in 14 games and was a first-team All-Pro, continuing the narrative that he’s one of the game’s greatest defenders, nay, players overall. However, Parsons not only tore his ACL in Week 15, but also had to undergo a procedure to repair his meniscus. So, it appears the best-case scenario is that he returns in 2026 just in time for a showdown with his former team -- the Dallas Cowboys -- in Week 6. The football gods do love their drama, after all. While all the histrionics last year that preceded his Dallas exit were plenty to deal with, this is another type of adversity for Parsons to overcome. The odds might be against him returning to elite form in his first year back from an ACL tear, but Parsons is set on coming back and leading the Pack into the playoffs. Notable: The last defensive player to win CPOTY was Chiefs safety Eric Berry in 2015 -- one year before wide receiver Jordy Nelson earned the honor and became the only Packers winner in history. Coming back from: Dislocated kneecap/multiple ligament tears suffered in December 2024. If Dell is active for the Texans’ season opener on Sept. 13, it will mark his first game played since Dec. 21, 2024. All signs point to Dell hitting the field and no doubt eliciting a resounding ovation from the Reliant Stadium crowd. On the aforementioned December day, Dell suffered a gruesome knee injury, and It’s been a marathon getting back. But he’s checking off all the mile markers this offseason and should he sprint back into the fold and become a contributor to a Houston squad with high aspirations, it will be a phenomenal tale of perseverance. His chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud, who’s looking for a rebound season of his own, should also be a major boon for the Super Bowl hopefuls. A 2023 third-rounder, Dell had seven touchdowns in 11 games in his and Stroud’s rookie season. The Texans' success, particularly over the past two campaigns, has centered on a dastardly defense. Such a dreadful injury seems bound to slow the speedy wideout, but if he can breathe life into the offense and bounce back, perhaps the 2026 finish line will be NFL Honors. Notable: A wide receiver hasn't won CPOTY since Keenan Allen with the Chargers in 2017. No Texans player has ever won the award. Coming back from: Torn ACL. Atlanta had no first-round pick in 2026. The team made two first-round selections in 2025: Jalon Walker, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, and James Pearce Jr., who is suspended for the first eight games of the season. In 2024, the Falcons drafted Penix eighth overall, despite having signed Kirk Cousins to a massive contract that same offseason. With their recent roster gambles not paying off like they hoped, the franchise’s trajectory might well ride on the left shoulder of Penix. He has just 14 NFL games under his belt, but he’s 26 and his play (2,757 passing yards, 12 touchdown passes, six interceptions in those 14 games) hasn’t come close to securing his spot as the future of the franchise at QB. Before he can attempt to prove anything with his play, he must first be cleared for 11-on-11 work and then, presumably, convince head coach Kevin Stefanski to give him the starting nod over Tua Tagovailoa. The Falcons have locked up RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts this offseason, so there's a strong foundation of talent on offense. If Penix emerges from his injury and fulfills the potential that convinced the Falcons to shock the NFL world with their draft day decision, an amazing turn of events could unfold. Expectations are relatively low for the team in 2026 because of the muddied waters at QB. Penix can change everything in Atlanta with a successful comeback. Notable: No Falcons player has ever won CPOTY. However, 2001 Falcons first-round pick Michael Vick won the award with the Eagles in 2010 and remains the only left-handed QB to garner the recognition. Coming back from: Being traded by the Raiders. Gotham’s prodigal son has returned. Eleven years ago, a Jets teammate broke Smith’s jaw in a locker room donnybrook. He played his last game for the team that selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft a season later. He was written off, but, as he memorably quipped years later, he didn’t write back. Smith resurrected his career with the Seahawks, going to a pair of Pro Bowls and winning 2022 Comeback Player of the Year. Smith’s winding road led him to the Raiders, but 2025 was a calamity. Vegas won three games. Pete Carroll, Smith’s career-saving grace, was fired after the season and Smith was traded. In theatre that only the Jets -- and New York -- can produce, Smith was sent back to his original squad, with Aaron Glenn quickly proclaiming him the starter. Is there another comeback in Geno? If there is, oh, what a story it will make. Notable: Should Smith win CPOTY, he would become only the third player to ever win the award twice, joining the Bengals' Joe Burrow and Chad Pennington, who won it with the Miami Dolphins in 2008 and the Jets in 2006. Comeback Players of the Year in the 2020s | Year | Player | Team | |---|---|---| 2025 | RB Christian McCaffrey | 49ers | 2024 | QB Joe Burrow | Bengals | 2023 | QB Joe Flacco | Browns | 2022 | QB Geno Smith | Seahawks | 2021 | QB Joe Burrow | Bengals | 2020 | QB Alex Smith | Washington Football Team | Coming back from: Broken and dislocated ankle. Perhaps it’s a sinful substation, horrible luck or some other nefarious reasoning from another realm, but the 49ers seem to have comeback candidates aplenty year in and year out. Heck, if the award wasn’t just for players, head coach Kyle Shanahan would be in the running. Warner, though, is regarded by many as the best off-ball linebacker in all the land. He truly is a marvel at a position that once ruled the NFL landscape but is often overlooked in the modern game. He played just six games last season due to a horrible ankle injury, yet his NFL brethren still voted him No. 54 on the annual Top 100 Players list. When you’re confined to a knee scooter for the majority of your season and you still get that kind of respect, it says something. I'm expecting Warner to say plenty with his play in 2026. His 2025 season snapped a run of three consecutive first-team All-Pro selections and Pro Bowl nods, right along with a string of seasons with no less than 118 tackles that had run the course of his career. The 49ers bested the Rams and Seahawks last year with Warner on the field. They went 0-3 (including playoffs) against those heavyweights without him. One of the elites in the game is back for the 49ers. Notable: Warner could become the first linebacker to win the award since Tedy Bruschi in 2005 and the fifth 49ers player to win it. Coming back from: Being released by the Dolphins. It seems like so long ago, but Tagovailoa was once seen as the savior for a moribund Miami franchise. Now, he’s responsible for a record $99.2 million in dead money for those same Dolphins. For the Falcons, he’s currently leading a QB1 competition because he’s running unopposed as Michael Penix Jr. continues on his own comeback journey. Admittedly, Tagovailoa’s already off to an unsettling start after his preseason debut left plenty to be desired. He’s come back from adversity before, though. His start with the Dolphins under Brian Flores was rough. Then Mike McDaniel arrived and he became a Pro Bowler, leading the league in passing yards in 2023. Along the way, he emerged from harrowing concussions. Ultimately, his days with the Dolphins ended on the bench. That leads him to a pivotal season -- and a giant opportunity with Kevin Stefanski manning the sidelines. He might be the perfect fit for Tagovailoa, having already brought the better out of Kirk Cousins, Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco in past seasons with the Vikings as an offensive coordinator and with the Browns as their head coach. Notable: SEE: No. 7 on this list. The note for Penix applies here, too. Super duper dark horse Coming back from: Multiple 2025 injuries/lost 2026 QB battle. Taken 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft as the fifth quarterback selected in a ballyhooed class, McCarthy has played in 10 games, throwing 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in those contests. It's really not been that large of a sample size, yet we’re already writing him off. He says he wants to stay in Minnesota and head coach/QB whisperer Kevin O’Connell could still develop him, but his injury woes and underwhelming play suggest differently. He and Michael Penix Jr. are the only members of that six-person first-round QB class who haven't won a playoff game. If Kyler Murray hits the skids or gets injured, O'Connell will have to choose between Carson Wentz or McCarthy. If he goes with the former, that would indeed spell the end for McCarthy in the Twin Cities. However, the McCarthy comeback narrative is there if the opportunity -- and subsequent performance -- arises for "Nine." He throws a mean fastball -- often too hard and too high -- has the clutch gene and the leadership history. Surely, if McCarthy resurrects his career, albeit still only in Year 3, he'll be a CPOTY contender. One way or another, the Vikings could have one heckuva renaissance story under center. Bonus Potentially coming back from: Retirement in March 2024 All signs point to Donald joining the Rams' all-star push to a Super Bowl. Should the surefire Hall of Famer come out of retirement and perform anywhere close to his level of pure unbridled dominance, he might just author one of the most stellar comebacks in sports lore. Too much? Donald played 10 years. He was a Pro Bowler in every single season and an eight-time first-team All-Pro. He won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, averaging 11.1 sacks per season playing primarily as an interior defensive lineman. Regardless of what does or doesn’t happen in 2026, take a moment to reflect on just what a prince of defensive darkness Donald was during his career. If a 35-years-young Donald returns, it will be because he knows he can wreak havoc. He’s a bad, bad man, but a prideful one, as well. He’s not coming back unless he can touch that same award-winning level that was a constant from 2014-2023. Other candidates: 49ers DENick Bosa (torn ACL), Jaguars CB/WR Travis Hunter (LCL tear), 49ers TE George Kittle (Achilles tear), Packers TE Tucker Kraft (torn ACL), Giants WR Malik Nabers (torn ACL/meniscus), Giants RB Cam Skattebo (ankle fracture).