1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
There’s no guarantee Mahomes will win Comeback Player of the Year just by being healthy for most or all of the 2026 season.
Since winning his second league MVP in 2022, his passing numbers have steadily declined toward average. The Chiefs also have serious questions at wide receiver—especially with Rashee Rice recovering from knee surgery and unavailable for OTAs and minicamp while serving a 30-day jail term tied to a probation violation.
However, there is a good chance Mahomes will play for most, if not all, of 2026.
“He’s way ahead of schedule,” GM Brett Veach told SiriusXM Radio in early May (h/t NFL.com’s Kevin Patra).
If Mahomes does play the majority of the season, and if he helps Kansas City return to the top of the AFC hierarchy, it’s hard to envision another player passing him for CPOY.
Mahomes remains one of the league’s most electric offensive playmakers when at his best, and he’s facing real adversity for the first time in his career. The 30-year-old has never missed significant time with an injury and has never entered the regular season with Kansas City as an underdog.
Seeing one of the league’s brightest stars overcome the biggest challenges of his pro career could easily become one of the defining storylines of 2026.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.arrowheadpride.com ’
