The Kansas City Chiefs are 6-2 and hoping to get right back into Super Bowl contention after a bumpy year in 2025. The good news is that Patrick Mahomes is healthy, and Kenneth Walker, the team's best free-agent acquisition this offseason, is proving to be worth every penny.
With a duo like Mahomes and Walker, this offense should seemingly be unstoppable. Unfortunately, things haven't necessarily played out that way. The two have played well, sure, but the offensive line has struggled, and the receivers have been disappointing.
Perhaps it's the rest of the offense dragging Mahomes and Walker down in the MVP odds or maybe it's simply that other guys have played better than they have. Let's check out the odds for MVP, courtesy of DraftKings.
2026 NFL MVP odds
Player | Team | MVP Odds |
|---|---|---|
Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | +190 |
Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | +250 |
Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers | +425 |
Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers | +650 |
Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | +900 |
Caleb Williams | Chicago Bears | +1600 |
Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | +3000 |
Jared Goff | Detroit Lions | +4500 |
Drake Maye | New England Patriots | +4500 |
Jahmyr Gibbs | Detroit Lions | +5500 |
Kenneth Walker | Kansas City Chiefs | +6500 |
Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Seattle Seahawks | +7500 |
Mahomes has 7th-best MVP odds, Walker with 11th-best
This isn't all that surprising to see. Joe Burrow has been on absolute fire in the first half of the season, throwing for just shy of 2,400 yards with 23 touchdowns and six picks. He's also rushed for 77 yards and three scores. The Bengals are 6-2 and look to be one of the most explosive offenses in the league with Burrow leading the way. Burrow has yet to win league MVP.
Allen is right behind Burrow. The Bills quarterback won MVP in 2024 and this year looked like the early no-brainer choice. Burrow passed him after making the Falcons defense look downright pathetic in Madrid in Week 9 while Allen struggled against a ferocious Vikings defense.
As for Mahomes and Walker, they're low on the list for a reason. Mahomes hasn't been his prime self and Walker, while important to his team, is not a quarterback.
The last time a non-quarterback won MVP was way back in 2012 when Adrian Peterson nabbed the honor after rushing for nearly 2,100 yards. Even when Derrick Henry rushed for over 2,000 yards in 2020 or when Saquon Barkley did it in 2024, neither guy won the award. It's a quarterback's award, for better or worse.
We'll have to see if either Mahomes or Walker move up the MVP odds leaderboard as the season progresses, but for now, these odds feel about right for both players.
All betting odds courtesy of DraftKings. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. The content in this article should not be considered betting advice. Gambling involves risk, and one should only gamble with funds that one can comfortably afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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