Five Offensive Player of the Year candidates for 2026
By Andy Davies
The 2026 NFL season is less than a week away.
The Seattle Seahawks will be looking to win back-to-back Super Bowls, and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be aiming to retain his Offensive Player of the Year award from last season.
This would make him just the eighth player to win multiple Offensive Player of the Year titles.
But who else will be contending for the award? Here are five contenders for the award in 2026.
Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons)
The Atlanta Falcons have a lot of uncertainty at the quarterback position. However, one position that is not unclear is running back.
Since being drafted eighth overall in 2023, Bijan Robinson has fast become one of the best running backs in the league.
Not only is Robinson excellent in the ground game, but he can also contribute to the passing game.
In three seasons, he has recorded 3,910 rushing yards, and 25 rushing yards. In addition, he has tallied up 1,738 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
With quarterback concerns, the Falcons are expected to be a run first team. Robinson is likely to stand out even more this season. In a weak NFC South division, he has all the talent in the world to single handedly win the division for Atlanta.
They would go into any playoff game as the underdog, given the strength of the majority of teams in the NFC, meaning an Offensive Player of the Year award might be unlikely.
Should Robinson’s stats be beyond excellent and records be set, then this could play into his hands. This is more than possible in his division, which may help him break the trend of four of the last five winners of the award reaching a Super Bowl.
Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions)
The NFL season being back also means one thing, fantasy football drafts are underway.
In 2026, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is the most popular pick at the 1.01 spot.
This is due to his dual-threat ability and the Lions’ favourable 2026 schedule. Such factors make him an attractive prospect for NFL fans. It also means he is a strong candidate to win Offensive Player of the Year.
The Lions took a downturn in 2025, a year on from being the number one seed in the NFC, missing out on the playoffs altogether. Gibbs still put up excellent numbers.
His 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns in the ground game were matched with 616 yards and five touchdowns in the air.
The Lions are expected to see a major improvement in the win column, with a playoff return more than a possibility in 2026. With more eyes on the team, then Gibbs will be a strong contender for the award.
Ja'Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals)
In similar fashion to the Lions, the Cincinnati Bengals are expected to see a major improvement in 2026.
According to the current bookmaker odds, the Bengals are the favourites in 15 of their 17 regular season games from their schedule.
There have been three problems for the Bengals that have constantly held them back. The offensive line, defense and health of Joe Burrow have been a regular source of frustration.
During this offseason, the Bengals have addressed their defense with many additions, such as Dexter Lawrence II. For the first time in Burrow’s career, all five starting offensive linemen have returned. This was a unit that saw improvement down the stretch in 2025.
This makes Burrow a prime candidate to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP). Should he win it, then this would make wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase a strong contender for the Offensive Player of the Year award.
Since entering the league in 2021, the Bengals have combined for a 46-38 record, with just two playoff campaigns in those five seasons. Despite this, Chase has still put up the numbers, with 1,000 or more yards each year. In total, he has 6,837 receiving yards and 54 receiving touchdowns, making him one of the best wide receivers this decade.
He will be hoping to be able to catch passes from Burrow all season, something he has only been able to do once in the last three years. This would make him a viable contender to win the award. After all, in the last season that his QB1 played the entire campaign, he became the third player this century to win the triple crown.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks)
As the holder of the award, you cannot discredit Smith-Njigba’s chances of winning the award.
He ranked fourth in 2025 for receptions (119), no one had more receiving yards than his 1,793. Just five players had more touchdowns than his 10.
With elite route running, he is a nightmare for opposition defenses. The Seahawks roster has not seen too many big names leave, with the exception of running back and Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker. This makes them a team that are likely to contend once again.
If Smith-Njigba was to repeat his heroics and get anywhere near to his numbers from 2025, then he is sure to be a nominee.
Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams)
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua was the one of the players to lose out to Smith-Njigba for the award last season.
He finished third in voting, after an excellent campaign, where he ranked first in receptions (129) and second in receiving yards (1,715). This is as well as levelling Smith-Njigba’s 10 receiving touchdowns.
The Rams are going into the 2026 season as the overwhelming favourites to win the Super Bowl, and Nacua will be a key part of their success if they were to do so. Of course, this is dependent on him avoiding any potential ban for the season.
Off the field issues have brought doubt into those wanting to pick Nacua high on fantasy football, and whether he will win the award.
Right now, there is no ban on Nacua, but he is under league review for a personal conduct policy case.
It remains to be seen whether he will be banned at all, and if he is, whether it will be just one or two games, or six or more.
If Nacua is to avoid a ban, or even just miss one game, then he is likely to still put up some good numbers. The Rams will feature in the most primetime games this season. He would put the league on notice should he perform like he did in 2025. This would make him a worthwhile candidate.
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.
