Five Comeback Player of the Year contenders for 2026
By Andy Davies
The Comeback Player of the Year award is a title that players are happy to receive but perhaps do not want to win.
Winning the award means that you either did not have a great time of it on the field previously, or you had to endure the personal setback of a long injury layoff.
Nevertheless, winning the award is a great honour as it shows you have demonstrated great resilience to get back to an elite level.
The more recent recipient was Christian MccCaffrey after an impressive 2025 campaign. Meanwhile, Joe Burrow has won the award in two of the past five seasons.
Here are five candidates that could receive the award in the 2026 season.
Aaron Donald
The return of Aaron Donald out of retirement has been one of the biggest talking points this offseason.
Shortly after the Los Angeles Rams traded for defensive end Myles Garrett, speculation intensified over whether they would pair him up on the line with their former number 99.
One of the greatest defensive players of all-time, Donald retired following the conclusion of the 2022 season. He has since kept in shape and does not look as if he has aged one bit. He was in the facility to a try-out, a session where head coach Sean McVay called it the best he had ever seen.
Should Donald return to his All-Pro self, then his return from the couch to the field would make him a viable candidate, as it did Joe Flacco in the 2023 season. Being on a Rams team that many expect to at least reach Super Bowl LXI, if not win it, this will bring more of a spotlight on his performances.
The Rams lead the league with seven primetime games in the 2026 season. With the whole world watching the team, and Donald back to his best, then he would be a worthwhile contender. The one factor that may hinder him is what week he returns to the field.
Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
Daniels could not have asked for two seasons more different to start his NFL career.
His 2024 debut campaign saw him win the NFL Rookie of the Year award, as he helped guide the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship games. However, the following campaign saw Daniels play just seven games as the team ended the season with a 5-12 record.
A return from injury and with any sort of season reminiscent of his 2024 heroics, and he may be up there as a candidate for the award. With Terry McLaurin to throw to, and new addition Stefan Diggs, then he has two exciting prospects to work with in the US capital.
A tough NFC East division may make it tough for Daniels to shine like he did in 2024, with the other teams having legitimate cases to win the division. If he can overcome this and manage to guide the Commanders to a playoff berth, then this would make his case even stronger.
Kyler Murray (Minnesota Vikings)
The NFL career of Kyler Murray has been a combination of injuries and inconsistencies.
Once a way to early MVP contender, Murray has shown exactly what he can do when firing and why he was a first overall pick back in 2019. Struggles to stay healthy and too many mistakes on the field led to his ultimate departure from the Arizona Cardinals.
One a risk free one-year deal, Murray made the move to his boyhood Minnesota Vikings this offseason. He will relish the chance to throw to one of the best wide receivers in the league in Justin Jefferson, along with one of the top WR2’s in the NFL in Jordan Addison. Having them to, along with tight end TJ Hockenson, and a head coach in Kevin O’Connell, the is an offence that can make any quarterback look good.
O’Connell has fast earned a reputation of elevating a quarterback’s game. Kirk Cousins had one of his best seasons under his stewardship, Josh Dobbs enjoyed a brief linsanity run, whilst he been attributed to Sam Arnold’s resurgence.
Murray has all the tools to help him fulfil his potential. Any sort of season similar to Darnold’s in Minnesota, someone who won a Super Bowl 12 months later, and Murray could put the league on alert.
Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers)
Not many defensive players win the award.
In fact, only five defensive players have won the award in the 21st century, and not since the 2015 season, when safety Eric Berry received the honours, has a player on that side of the ball been selected.
Technically in the 1999 season, defensive tackle Bryant Young picked up the award in early 2000. The following season, defensive end Joe Johnston won it. In 2005, linebacker Teddy Bruschi was named the recipient, before Greg Ellis’ 2007 season success and Berry’s aforementioned accolade eight years later.
The award probably will be won by an offensive player, but Bosa stands as the best chance to win the award aside from Donald.
Donald may not pick up his cleats on an NFL field until the middle of the season, giving him less time to make himself stand out. This would give Bosa a chance to be the first defensive player since Berry to acclaim the award.
The 49ers are a team that when fully healthy, have gone far in an NFL season. The problem has been that they haven’t been able to stay on the field.
A fully healthy Niners have the team and head coach to go up against any team and beat them. With games twice a season against electric offensive talent such as Matthew Stafford, McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Jaxson Smith-Njigba and George Kittle, beating them through your defence will bring more eyes on the team.
Along with Fred Warner, the pair have both struggled to stay healthy but remain the team’s most lethal defensive players. A season similar to the 2019 and 2023 seasons would help Bosa and the Niners thrive, a potential opening for the former second overall pick to receive the honours.
Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
The 2025 season saw the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty show signs of decay.
Just a season on from one that saw them reach another Super Bowl, where they were just a win away from a historic three-peat, they won just six games.
In a season that was already on its last legs, Quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a season ending ACL and LCL injury. He is expected to be back in Week One, and with the AFC wide open as a conference, there is a realistic prospect of the Chiefs going far in the postseason once more.
They will also be victims of a tough AFC West division, but any route of there with a postseason berth would make one of the most recognisable faces of the league the favourite to win the award.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER SIX YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS SUCH AS SUPER BOWL LIX AND LX, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JUSTIN JEFFERSON, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, PATRICK MAHOMES, TRAVIS KELCE, DERRICK HENRY, SAQUON BARKLEY AND JALEN HURTS.
