play1:21Will A.J. Brown still be with the Eagles next season?Jeff Saturday and Dan Graziano debate whether A.J. Brown will still be playing for the Philadelphia Eagles next season.
Peter Schrager, Stephen A. not sold on Patriots as AFC favorites next season (1:53)Peter Schrager and Stephen A. Smith agree the Patriots should not be viewed as the AFC favorites entering next season. (1:53)
Will A.J. Brown still be with the Eagles next season?Jeff Saturday and Dan Graziano debate whether A.J. Brown will still be playing for the Philadelphia Eagles next season.
Jeff Saturday and Dan Graziano debate whether A.J. Brown will still be playing for the Philadelphia Eagles next season.
ESPN NFL expertsMultiple AuthorsFeb 11, 2026, 06:15 AM ET
With the Seattle Seahawks triumphing as Super Bowl LX champions, the 2026 NFL offseason is now underway. There’s a lot to be determined between now and the start of the 2026 season with free agency and the draft looming, but it’s never too early to look ahead.
Are the Seahawks bound for a repeat, or will another franchise hoist the Lombardi trophy in 12 months? Who could be the next MVP? Let’s get into our early predictions, starting with who will be the next Super Bowl LXI champion.
Matt Bowen, NFL analyst: Bears over Bills. Chicago needs to add pass rushers, but the foundational players are there on offense under coach Ben Johnson. With quarterback Caleb Williams’ playmaking ability, the Bears will beat Josh Allen and Joe Brady’s Bills to win Super Bowl LXI.
Jeremy Fowler, national NFL reporter: Rams over Broncos. Los Angeles matched up with Seattle as well as anyone last season and will be back to finish the job. The Matthew Stafford-Sean McVay connection is improving with age. The secondary was a weakness late in the season, so expect the Rams to address that issue for roster balance.
Pamela Maldonado, sports betting analyst: 49ers over Bills. The 2025 season was a grind, with multiple injuries to key players such as edge rusher Joey Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner and tight end George Kittle. Yet the 49ers still piled up 12 wins and won a playoff game. A roster that’s already battle tested under that level of adversity should be a contending team once its health stabilizes.
Eric Moody, fantasy analyst: Broncos over Seahawks. The Broncos appear undervalued despite winning the AFC West and finishing tied for the league’s best record last season, while the Seahawks reminded everyone that defense still wins championships. History suggests repeating is difficult, with only nine teams winning back-to-back Super Bowl titles, and champions often lose key contributors during free agency once players cash in.
Ben Solak, NFL analyst: Texans over Rams. I’m buying all sorts of Texans stock, as that defense is staying together, and the offense was showing positive signs of growth in a season with a new offensive coordinator and a totally retooled offensive line. With an improvement in the running game, Houston is set for an explosion.
Mike Tannenbaum, NFL analyst: Commanders over Bills. Quarterback Jayden Daniels stays healthy next season and bounces back in a big way. He plays in every game and finishes the season by outdueling Allen and the Bills in a 45-42 shootout in L.A.
Seth Walder, NFL analyst: Chargers over Packers. Am I falling for the Chargers in the offseason, just like we all do every year? Sure. But this time will be different! The 2025 Chargers’ biggest weakness — the offensive line — already has a built-in solution with their two excellent tackles (Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater) returning to health. Add McDaniel as offensive coordinator and I find myself truly believing.
Bowen: Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys. Prescott 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.
Graziano: Caleb Williams, QB, Bears. I see the arrow pointing up for Williams with Ben Johnson and a 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.
Maldonado: Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers. McCaffrey is the engine of the Niners’ offense. He posted 1,202 rushing yards, had 924 receiving yards and carried the Niners through injuries all season. If San Francisco stays mostly healthy and wins 12-plus games again, voters will reward the league’s most complete offensive playmaker.
Moody: Josh Allen, QB, Bills. The window won’t stay open forever for Allen to win a Super Bowl, but Buffalo is well positioned entering the season. Since newly hired coach Joe Brady was promoted as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator in Week 11 of the 2023 season, the Bills have ranked second in points per game at 29.1, a run that included Allen winning his first MVP in 2024. He is firmly in the mix for this award again, especially if Buffalo adds a true No. 1 receiver this offseason.
Reid: Jordan Love, QB, Packers. Next season will be Love’s fourth directing Matt LaFleur’s offense. Love dazzled with his arm talent in his first three and proved the Packers right in choosing to make him the foundation of their future. Love will take things to a new level and win MVP.
Solak: Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens. Jackson has a full offseason to get healthy and a new offensive coordinator in Declan Doyle. When Jackson has a full season to accrue counting stats, he’s always in the conversation.
Tannenbaum: Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders. Daniels will rebound from an injury-plagued 2025 season and reassert himself as the top quarterback of the 2024 draft class. He stays healthy, performs well throwing and running the ball and makes new offensive coordinator David Blough a prime head coaching candidate.
Walder: Allen. I think he’s the best player in football and has to shoulder such a heavy load for his team. That makes him a perennial MVP candidate, and I don’t see that changing. He didn’t even play his best ball last season. If he plays better in 2026, he certainly has a chance at a second MVP in three years.
Yates: Jackson. As a new chapter of the Ravens franchise begins, Jackson will be invigorated by Doyle, considered by many in the coaching ranks to be an NFL head coach soon. In my opinion, Jackson is still the most dynamic player in the game.
Bowen: Trey Hendrickson will sign with the Colts. General Manager Chris Ballard makes a splash move to sign the top free agent on the market. Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024, would immediately upgrade the Indianapolis pass rush.
Fowler: The Giants will make the playoffs. The Year 1 spike due to a top-shelf coach is a proven formula that worked last season for New England’s Mike Vrabel, Chicago’s Ben Johnson and Jacksonville’s Liam Coen. John Harbaugh hopes to have a similar impact, and New York’s roster is on the upswing. A few savvy additions this offseason would make the Giants contenders.
Graziano: The Steelers will have their first losing season since 2003. For a few years now, this roster has needed a more extensive rebuild than the team has been willing to undergo. For all the issues Steelers fans had with Mike Tomlin by the end of his tenure, there’s a good chance 2026 shows that he was actually holding things together in Pittsburgh.
Schatz: The Giants will take a big leap, going from worst to first thanks to the coaching of John Harbaugh, the return of wide receiver Malik Nabers, and steps forward from quarterback Jaxson Dart and edge rusher Abdul Carter in Year 2. Like Jeremy alluded to above, it’s not as big a leap as you might think, as their underlying play-by-play performance last season suggested a 7-10 team instead of a 4-13 unit.
Solak: The Falcons will win the NFC South, as Kevin Stefanski immediately steps in as a quality head coach with a roster that just needs competent coaching and quarterback help. But Stefanski can scheme an offense around a quarterback well, and he pushes the Falcons to 10 wins (which is all it would take to win the South, anyway).
Tannenbaum: The Chargers will take a big step and win the AFC West. With offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater healthy, and Mike McDaniel bringing some energy, Justin Herbert & Co. get over the hump and win the division.
Walder: The Cowboys will win the NFC East. Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense played extremely well last season, which went under the radar in part because the defense was so bad. The latter should improve through regression alone. If Dallas can get its defense to be just OK, the Cowboys could become contenders very quickly.
Yates: Caleb Williams will become an All-Pro. There was a ton of good in Williams’ second pro season but still so much room for growth. Williams’ completion percentage will be the area that most point to, and I am bullish that number will improve dramatically next season. The Bears’ offense should return mostly intact in 2026, and that familiarity will be instrumental in their franchise quarterback’s development.
Maldonado: The Bills will finally fix their offense with one decisive move — acquiring Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. They would immediately be on the top tier of Super Bowl contenders if they added Brown. Buffalo’s top priority is receiver help, and pairing him with Allen can solve its biggest limitation overnight. Buffalo has the rare mix of an elite QB, a playoff-ready roster, a clear singular need and a clear desperation to fill it. All that is missing is the blockbuster deal to put it together.
Moody: Running back Travis Etienne Jr. will sign with the Chiefs during free agency. Etienne would be intriguing as a proven, versatile back who has surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in three of his four healthy seasons, including 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025. His ability to contribute as both a runner and receiver (5,136 career all-purpose yards with 32 touchdowns) would boost a Chiefs backfield that averaged less 4.0 yards per carry last season and failed to produce a running back with at least 200 receiving yards.