MVP is the most sought-after individual award in any sport. It means you were the most important player to your team during the course of the entire season, but unfortunately, the NFL MVP has turned into a quarterback award.

We haven’t seen a non-quarterback win MVP since Adrian Peterson all the way back in 2012. A total of nine different players have won MVP since then, but they have all been quarterbacks, and just twice since has there been a non-QB finish as the runner-up (Todd Gurley in 2017 & J.J. Watt in 2014).

After every week of this year, I’m going to be ranking the top-10 MVP candidates, not based on odds, but based on their performance thus far. There are a few non-QBs on here, but only ones that I think have a realistic shot at at least getting a few votes if they keep it up throughout the remainder of the year.

Here’s my MVP ladder heading into Week 4.

10. Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

Last Week: 6

2026 Stats: 59.5%, 939 passing yards, 8 total TDs, 2 INTs

Odds: +10000

Kicking off our list is Bryce Young, who had an electric start to the season, but struggled a bit in a loss to Cleveland. Young threw for 291 yards, which gave him the most passing yards of any quarterback this year, but he threw one touchdown and one interception while leading Carolina to just 18 points in a loss to the Browns. That doesn’t look great on the resume, but he’s been playing very well outside of that game, so he deserves to be recognized.

9. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Last Week: 9

2026 Stats: 69.5%, 730 passing yards, 7 passing TDs, 1 INT

Odds: +2000

Dak Prescott stays exactly where he was last week after a pretty mundane performance in Brazil, where he completed 63 percent of his throws for 276 yards and one touchdown in a 34-31 loss to Baltimore. Prescott is now up to 730 yards and seven touchdowns on the year with just one interception, but he needs a few more big games to really put himself in contention.

8. Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints

Last Week: 4

2026 Stats: 68.9%, 917 passing yards, 67 rushing yards, 8 passing TDs, 3 INTs

Odds: +3500

Tyler Shough is another NFC South quarterback who got off to a hot start, and he statistically had his best game yet, throwing for 255 yards and four touchdowns with a 69 percent completion rate, but he did throw an interception and fumbled the ball twice while the Saints’ offense completely fell apart down the stretch.

Mr. 4th quarter did not play well late (largely due to his offensive line) and was a big reason New Orleans couldn’t hold onto their double-digit lead in the second half. Still, he’s put up some massive numbers and should continue to do so for the rest of the year.

7. Greg Rousseau, DE, Buffalo Bills

Last Week: NR

2026 Stats: 22 pressures, eight hurries, 6.0 sacks

Odds: N/A

It’s very rare to see a defensive player get in the MVP conversations, but through three weeks, Greg Rousseau absolutely deserves to be. He currently leads the NFL in sacks with 6.0 and is second in pressures with 22. He’s recorded multiple sacks in every single game so far and is on pace to finish with 34. That won’t happen, but if it did, or if he even got within 12 of that number, he should be in the conversation for MVP at the end of the year.

6. Kenneth Walker, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

Last Week: 3

2026 Stats: 360 rushing yards, 82 receiving yards, 4 total TDs

Odds: +6500

Kenneth Walker has been the X-factor for Kansas City’s offense this year. He started the season off with back-to-back 150+ yard performances, and while he took a bit of a backseat last week, he still totaled 73 yards and two touchdowns. He’s my second-highest-ranked non-quarterback on this list because he’s been phenomenal through three weeks.

5. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions

Last Week: NR

2026 Stats: 70.6%, 802 passing yards, 8 passing TDs

Odds: +4500

There are only eight quarterbacks in the NFL who have thrown 40+ pass attempts and don’t have an interception, and only one of them has more than four touchdown passes, and that’s Jared Goff, who has eight touchdowns. That alone should tell you the type of season he’s having. He ranks seventh in completion percentage, sixth in yards, third in touchdowns, and tied for fewest interceptions. If he’s not on your MVP ballot right now, you’re not doing it right.

4. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

Last Week: 7

2026 Stats: 68.4%, 812 passing yards, 41 rushing yards, 8 total TDs, 2 INTs

Odds: +800

Patrick Mahomes has very similar numbers to Bryce Young and Tyler Shough, who are down at No. 10 and No. 8, respectively, but he sits at No. 4 because of his team. The MVP is usually the best player on one of the top teams in the league, and the Chiefs are 3-0 while New Orleans and Carolina are both 1-2. It’s just how the game is played. You have to be on a playoff team to win MVP, and right now, Mahomes is leading one of the top teams in the NFL.

3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Last Week: 5

2026 Stats: 27 receptions, 405 receiving yards, 6 TDs

Odds: +5500

We thought Jaxon Smith-Njigba peaked in 2025 when he caught 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns and won Offensive Player of the Year, but he said that’s not enough, and now he’s coming for the MVP.

Through three weeks, JSN is on pace to catch 153 passes for 2,295 yards and 34 touchdowns, all of which would shatter the NFL record. That’s an unsustainable pace, but if he stays healthy, there is a real chance he becomes the first 2,000-yard receiver in NFL history this year. That should win him the MVP, but we’d have to see what the other QBs do.

2. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

Last Week: 1

2026 Stats: 65.1%, 786 passing yards, 114 rushing yards, 11 total TDs, 2 INTs

Odds: +260

Even when Josh Allen doesn’t play well, he still puts up 204 yards and two touchdowns. If he’s a 300-yard, 4-touchdown guy at his peak, and the worst he can do is 200 yards and a couple of scores, he’s always going to be in the MVP race. He was the No. 1 player on this list last week, but after a two-turnover game, someone else has surpassed him…

1. Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Last Week: 2

2026 Stats: 72.3%, 789 passing yards, 93 rushing yards, 10 total TDs, 1 INT

Odds: +425

And that someone is Brock Purdy, who is playing out of his mind right now. He’s completing over 72 percent of his throws, has totaled nearly 900 yards of offense, and has 10 touchdowns with just one turnover while leading San Fran to a 3-0 record, which included a 20-point win over the preseason Super Bowl favorites in Week 1. He can’t put a foot wrong right now, and he should absolutely be the favorite to win MVP through three weeks.