Some of the Windy City Gridiron staff made their picks for several 2026 individual season awards, and we capped the predictions off by picking Super Bowl LXI. We’ll run through all our picks in the coming days, and first up is Most Valuable Player.
Bryan Orenchuk: For MVP this season, I’m going with Caleb Williams. Homerism aside, Chicago is going to have to put up loads of points with the state of their defense. In year 2 with Ben Johnson, I’m expecting Iceman to earn the first of many MVPs in a deep
playoff run.
Josh Sunderbruch: MVP is going to come down to a handful of anointed players, and I think if Joe Burrow stays healthy and his defense just carries the smallest amount of load, the Bengals are going to have the results that let him get the award.
Sam Householder: This might be the second or third year in a row I say Joe Burrow. I feel like he’s due, though. It feels kind of now or never for Cincinnati, and if it goes badly, he could want out.
Donald Gooch: The only thing keeping Allen from being the best QB in the NFL has been the absence of a quality go-to receiver – and now he has DJ Moore. He will challenge NFL records in touchdown passes, QB rushing yards, and total yards as he walks to an MVP in 2026.
TJ Starman: Drake Maye would be my choice for MVP. Based on his production last season and the improvements the Patriots made around him, I feel like he’s set up well to have another fantastic season as long as he remains healthy.
Mongo Peanut: Patrick Mahomes. I know he’s had some down years. I know he’s coming off of an injury. I know all of that. Still, he’s one of the best QBs in history, and I think we are all overlooking him. I sense that he and Reid are going to approach this season with something to prove. And voters will gobble up the storyline.
Gary Baugher Jr.: The latent homer in me wants to see a Chicago Bears QB named MVP, but the football fan in me tells me he’s still a considerable leap from that (which isn’t out of the question!) All that said, I’ll go with a fully healthy Lamar Jackson to win his 3rd.
Erik Duerrwaechter: Caleb Williams. He’s already taken that humongous leap during his second season as a pro, with plenty of room for improvement as well. This year we will see Caleb Williams put everything together and prove why Ryan Poles picked him number one overall in 2024.
Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: I’m picking the Bears to repeat in the NFC North, and if that happens, the hype around Caleb will be sky high. There’s already buzz around him that carried over from Iceman and the Cardiac Bears of 2025, and the Madden cover gave him another national boost. The oddsmakers have him with top-10 MVP odds, and he’s top three as far as the money coming in on him to win. But I think he falls short. I have the Los Angeles Rams winning the NFC West this year, and Mathew Stafford going back-to-back as the League MVP.
Jeff Berckes: I hate how a few of my colleagues are picking Caleb Williams because I don’t want the entire site to look like a bunch of homers… but I’m extremely bullish on Williams this season. MVP is often a narrative award loosely backed by some numbers. Everyone hating on the Bears’ defense should put some money on Caleb for MVP, as that will only help pad stats. I think his biggest threat to the award is a healthy Joe Burrow.
Superfans: Just as it was spoken by Connor MacLeod in the cinematic masterpiece, Highlander, that came out a few weeks after the most glorious football game ever played, Super Bowl XX, “There can be only one.” And the only one here is Caleb Williams, who shall become just the second Bear to win the NFL MVP Award after Seeetness himself, Walter Jerry Payton, in 1977.
If there was any doubt about Caleb’s MVP chances, it just got a massive boost with the unveiling of his new mustachioed look that would make Da Coach himself, Michael Keller Ditka, proud.
Who is your pick for 2026 NFL MVP?
