Super Bowl week always carries tension. But before kickoff in Santa Clara, another spotlight moment arrives. The NFL Honors ceremony will decide the league’s top individual awards, including MVP, with several Super Bowl storylines tied directly to the finalists.
Quarterbacks dominate the race again. Teams like the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, and San Francisco 49ers all have a stake in the outcome. With legacies, contracts, and narratives shifting fast, Thursday night could reshape how the 2025 season is remembered.
NFL Honors Expected to End With Its Most Prestigious Award
The 2026 NFL Honors begins at 9 p.m. ET from the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The show airs on NBC and streams on Peacock, NFL+, and other digital platforms. Jon Hamm hosts the 15th annual ceremony, which covers eight Associated Press awards plus Hall of Fame announcements.
While the show starts at 9 p.m. ET, history suggests the MVP is saved for later in the broadcast. The league typically uses the award as a closing moment. Other major honors, including Coach of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year awards, are usually announced earlier.
This structure helps build suspense. It also allows time to highlight multiple storylines before revealing the league’s biggest individual prize.
The MVP finalists this year include Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, Christian McCaffrey, and Matthew Stafford. Each of these candidates has a compelling statistical and narrative case.
Stafford led the league in passing yards and touchdowns. He earned first-team All-Pro honors. Maye landed second-team All-Pro recognition and led all passers in completion percentage and yards per attempt. Allen won MVP last season, adding historical weight to his candidacy.
McCaffrey’s case is rare. He is one of only a few non-quarterbacks to reach MVP finalist status in the modern era. The last non-QB winner was Adrian Peterson in 2012 after a 2,000-yard rushing season. McCaffrey finished with 17 total touchdowns and 2,126 scrimmage yards this season.
The voting process has wrapped up. A panel of 50 media members cast ballots before the playoffs. First-place votes were worth 10 points, with lower placements receiving decreasing values. Results were tabulated by accounting firm Lutz and Carr.
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There is speculation around Stafford’s late-season surge. Some league observers believe he could be in line for his first MVP. Others think the race could be tighter than expected due to Maye’s efficiency metrics and McCaffrey’s all-purpose dominance.
Beyond MVP, the show will reveal the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Presenters include current stars and retired legends, adding weight to the moment.
As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, Thursday night could shift narratives. Awards shape legacies. And once the MVP is announced, the focus turns fully to football’s biggest stage.
