Analyst Picks Jayden Daniels Over Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson for MVP

The usual suspects and wild cards

Instead, the rest of the votes went to most of the usual suspects. Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs), and Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) were all named. 

There was a mention of Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love as well, who seems to have taken the place of Justin Herbert as the candidate who hasn’t actually achieved anything MVP-worthy, with no more than nine regular-season wins in any year and a 1-3 postseason mark, yet gets thrust into the conversation as one of the best in the league.

Those trying to be a little different are predicting the first running back since Adrian Peterson in 2012, then with the Minnesota Vikings. Those names included Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons) and, of course, Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers).

Then there are the wild cards, like Daniels some might argue, who also double as rivals to the Commanders’ quarterback. 

Rivals in the NFC

Analyst Matt Bowen’s selection is Dak Prescott, of the Dallas Cowboys, citing that he “had more than 4,500 passing yards and threw 30 touchdowns this past season. With the Cowboys expected to retain wide receiver George Pickens, whom they will likely give the franchise tag, look for Prescott to produce high-level numbers again for a team that could challenge for the NFC East title in 2026 with an improved defense.”

Bowen hit the key points in his argument, Pickens’ return, and an improved defense, because as much as the MVP Award has become a quarterback award, it’s also a wins and losses award, meaning Dallas will need to win more than seven games to make Prescott a legitimate candidate.

Reporter Dan Graziano also named a Daniels rival, in the sense that Maye is a rival to some. “I see the arrow pointing up for [quarterback Caleb] Williams with Ben Johnson and a [Chicago] Bears team that arrived well ahead of schedule. Williams has that fourth-quarter clutch gene, and even if the Bears fix their defense to where he doesn't need as many clutch performances, he should have plenty of opportunities to showcase his abilities in a tough NFC North.”

The only pushback I’d offer there is that a team has arrived, as Washington did in 2024, with just one season of positive results to lean on in the argument.

Some would say Daniels shouldn’t be on this list either, given what transpired in 2025. But if new coordinator David Blough can reinject some energy into the Commanders’ offense and Daniels can stay healthy, we already know the results can be grand. And that alone is reason enough, in February, to talk about what could be instead of worrying about what might come.