We are 11 days into the unofficial start of the 2026 NFL off-season, and people are already itching for more football news and analysis. We've already given you our way-too-early power rankings as well as our way-too-early Super Bowl favorites, so the next logical step is to cover the NFL’s biggest awards. Therefore, let’s take a look at our way-too-early favorites to win Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and MVP.
Coach of the Year
Jesse Minter, Baltimore Ravens
There is a realistic shot that the Ravens will return to being one of the best teams in the NFL with a new coach at the helm. Last season, it just felt like the relationship between Baltimore and John Harbaugh needed to end after 18 successful but long years. With a 42-year-old Minter leading the charge, the defense should play much better after allowing 23.4 points per game last season, which ranked 18th in the league. If he can have that unit playing at a top-ten level, everything else should come together nicely for the Ravens, especially with a fully healthy Lamar Jackson. With an improved defense and Lamar Jackson hopefully available for the entire season, Baltimore will be one of the best teams in the NFL, which will lead to Minter being nominated for this award.
John Harbaugh, New York Giants
Of all the teams in the NFL, the Giants have arguably the best chance to go from worst to first. If they’re not the favorites to have the league’s best turnaround, then they're certainly in the top two. Adding a coach like John Harbaugh is an effective way to make an immediate positive change in your franchise's culture. He has surrounded himself with a respected coaching staff that will be able to get the most out of Big Blue's skilled offensive weapons and intimidating defensive front. Plus, it looks like New York has finally found its franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart. If Dart takes a big leap forward and the Giants finish the season with a winning record, then Harbaugh might be taking home the hardware when all is said and done.
Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
This is the team that has the best chance in the NFL to go from worst to first, in my opinion. Granted, the Lions were a nine-win team last season, but they still came in fourth in the NFC North. Hell, if they hadn’t lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17, Detroit probably would’ve made the playoffs over the Green Bay Packers. All the talent is there for the Lions to return to the postseason, or at the very least compete for a playoff spot. They'll also have the luxury of playing a last-place schedule, which should allow them to pencil in some easy wins. Should they win the division in a year where the Bears and Packers will be favored to come out of the NFC North, then Dan Campbell will be the NFL's Coach of the Year.
Defensive Player of the Year
Myles Garrett. Defensive end, Cleveland Browns.
Considering all five DPOTY finalists from this season were pass-rushers, it’s fair to say that defensive ends will be favored to take home the hardware in this category. There is an infinitesimally small chance that Myles Garrett will be able to replicate his record-breaking performance from this past season, but that doesn't mean we’re going to see his production fall off a cliff. Even before the 2025-26 campaign, Garrett had been averaging 15 sacks per year each of the previous four seasons. Considering how dominant he was this year, he already looks like an obvious favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year award next season.
Aidan Hutchinson. Defensive end, Detroit Lions.
Despite suffering a horrendous leg injury during the 2024-25 season, Aidan Hutchinson returned to Pro Bowl form last year with 14.5 sacks, the fourth-most in the NFL. In fact, we could argue that the 2025-26 season was the best of his career. He recorded career-highs in sacks (14.5), total tackles (54), and quarterback hits (35). Meanwhile, he tied his previous career highs for solo tackles (36), assists (18), and tackles for loss (14). Now that Hutchinson has shown he can be as good as he was before his injury, he can only go up from here. Since he has already been a Pro Bowler, the next logical step is All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year.
Micah Parsons. Defensive end, Green Bay Packers.
When healthy, Parsons was the Packers' best player and the second-best defender in the NFL. Despite only playing in 14 games, he still finished with the fourth-most quarterback pressures in the league, 48, which was just five less than what Myles Garrett had over the course of the regular-season. You have to imagine Parsons would've led the league in pressures if he had played in every game last season. The risky part about this prediction is that we don’t know how Micah Parsons will look coming off a disastrous knee injury. The most important thing he needs to do this off-season is focus on rehabbing his knee. If he can come back next year completely healthy and unaffected by the injury, he'll be a DPOTY candidate like he always is.
Offensive Player of the Year
Bijan Robinson. Running back, Atlanta Falcons.
It's not unreasonable to say that Bijan Robinson was robbed of the Offensive Player of the Year award this season. Don't get me wrong, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was deserving of the award, but Bijan Robinson led the NFL in scrimmage yards with 2,298, and he did it with two different starting quarterbacks. His numbers might have been even better this season if he had consistency at the QB spot. With a smart offensive playcaller like Kevin Stefanski and tight end Kyle Pitts expected to leave in free agency, Bijan Robinson will be an even more important part of the Falcons’ offense next season. He could even break Chris Johnson's record of 2,509 scrimmage yards in a single season. As long as he plays as well as he has the last two seasons, he'll once again be a finalist for Offensive Player of the Year.
Puka Nacua. Wide receiver, Los Angeles Rams.
Puka led the league in catches (129) and receiving yards per game (107.2) last season while finishing with just 78 fewer receiving yards than Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the league lead. Funny enough, he had more receiving yards than JSN over the course of the regular season and the playoffs (2,047 vs. 1,992). There was a point after the first four games of the campaign where Puka was on-pace to shatter the single-season receiving yards record. Obviously, that didn't end up happening, but he was still the best or second-best wide receiver in the NFL every week. That won't change next season, especially with LA expected to lose a tight end and a starting wideout in free agency.
Saquon Barkley. Running back, Philadelphia Eagles.
This is one of the few "surprise" picks on this list because Saquon Barkley was disappointing statistically this year. He still rushed for over 1,000 yards, but he didn't come anywhere close to putting up the numbers he did two years ago when the Eagles were the best team in the NFL. With a new offensive coordinator calling plays, Saquon will once again look like one of the best players in the game. Also, key offensive linemen like Lane Johnson and Cam Jurgens will probably be healthier and won't have to miss as many games as they did last season. If Saquon has an average season, he's projected to record 1,756 scrimmage yards. Should he exceed those expectations, he'll undoubtedly be in the mix for Offensive Player of the Year.
MVP
Matthew Stafford. Quarterback, Los Angeles Rams.
The reigning MVP needs to be at the top of the list to repeat. Stafford has shown no signs of slowing down and has actually improved his passer rating each of the last four seasons. The Rams offense will also look basically the same since the only weapons they’re expected to lose are their third wide receiver (Tutu Atwell) and their second tight end (Tyler Higbee). Thankfully, the 2026 free agent class is stacked at both of those positions, so the offense will be fine. With Puka Nacua still ascending to new heights, Davanta Adams playing like the best red zone threat in the NFL, and Sean McVay calling the plays, Matthew Stafford is bound to have another fantastic season, especially against a second-place schedule.
Lamar Jackson. Quarterback, Baltimore Ravens.
Even during a season where he misses games and his play is clearly hampered by injuries, Lamar Jackson still played like one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. In fact, his 103.8 passer rating is tied for the 86th-best mark ever in a single season. Amongst qualifying QBs, he was fourth in passer rating last season behind Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford, and Jared Goff. We have to imagine that he will return to MVP form when he’s not dealing with injuries. Since becoming Baltimore's full-time starter, he has a 103.3 career passer rating, which is the highest mark in NFL history. Lamar's performance this season was underwhelming because he was hurt. When healthy, he's still the most dynamic quarterback in the league.
Josh Allen. Quarterback, Buffalo Bills.
If the Bills are good next season, it'll be because Josh Allen is playing like an MVP. Even in what many considered to be a down year, he was an MVP finalist and scored the second-most touchdowns in the NFL (39). With a new head coach and some potential key losses on the offensive line, Josh Allen will need to be at his best for the Bills to compete for a playoff spot. Considering he's one of the best players in the National Football League when it comes to doing less with more, Josh Allen will once again be in the mix for the MVP award, especially if Buffalo makes it to the playoffs for an eighth year in a row with a rookie head coach. If he can do that, then he’s a shoo-in to at least be an MVP finalist.
