Nine Categories Including Most Valuable Player, Offensive & Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year and More
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Nov. 5, 2026 — With Week 8 of the 2026 NFL regular season in the books, voting for the 2026 NFL Channel Midseason Awards is set to open.
Beginning Sunday, Nov. 8 and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 15, fans can vote across nine different categories to determine the league’s top performers through the first half of the season. Voting opens on Sunday, Nov. 8 during NFL GameCenter Live beginning at 1 p.m. ET and closes on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. ET. Throughout the week, viewers can scan the QR code displayed daily on NFL Channel to access the voting page and make their selections. Additionally, NFL Media talent will share their picks and debate on the leading candidates.
The winners will be revealed on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. ET on NFL GameCenter Live ahead of Pittsburgh Steelers-Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football.
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Here are the nine categories and the nominees for each:
Most Valuable Player
· Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills quarterback
· Joe Burrow – Cincinnati Bengals quarterback
· Trevor Lawrence – Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback
· Brock Purdy – San Francisco 49ers quarterback
· Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
Offensive Player of the Year
· Jahmyr Gibbs – Detroit Lions running back
· Bijan Robinson – Atlanta Falcons running back
· Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
· Kenneth Walker III – Kansas City Chiefs running back
· Christian Watson – Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Defensive Player of the Year
· Will Anderson Jr. – Houston Texans defensive end
· Jessie Bates III – Atlanta Falcons safety
· Greg Rousseau – Buffalo Bills linebacker
· Fred Warner – San Francisco 49ers linebacker
· T.J. Watt – Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker
Offensive Rookie of the Year
· Germie Bernard – Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
· Denzel Boston – Cleveland Browns wide receiver
· Jonah Coleman – Denver Broncos running back
· KC Concepcion – Cleveland Browns wide receiver
· Carnell Tate – Tennessee Titans wide receiver
Defensive Rookie of the Year
· David Bailey – New York Jets defensive end
· Mansoor Delane – Kansas City Chiefs cornerback
· Arvell Reese – New York Giants linebacker
· Jacob Rodriguez – Miami Dolphins linebacker
· Sonny Styles – Washington Commanders linebacker
Comeback Player of the Year
· Brock Bowers – Las Vegas Raiders tight end
· George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers tight end
· Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs quarterback
· Malik Nabers – New York Giants wide receiver
· Fred Warner – San Francisco 49ers linebacker
Coach of the Year
· Liam Coen – Jacksonville Jaguars
· John Harbaugh – New York Giants
· Ben Johnson – Chicago Bears
· Todd Monken – Cleveland Browns
· Kyle Shanahan – San Francisco 49ers
Breakout Player of the Year
· Matthew Golden – Green Bay Packers wide receiver
· Kyler Gordon – Chicago Bears cornerback
· Travis Hunter – Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback/wide receiver
· Isaiah Likely – New York Giants tight end
· Bhayshul Tuten – Jacksonville Jaguars running back
Game of the Year
· Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys, Week 3
· Los Angeles Rams vs. Denver Broncos, Week 3
· Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Rams, Week 5
· San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks, Week 5
· Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Week 8
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, a special edition of NFL Pro with Brett Kollmann and Trevor Sikkema streams at 5 p.m. ET on NFL Channel examining the candidates for each award.
For the latest news on NFL Media, please follow @NFLMedia on X and Instagram. Additionally, for general league news visit media.nfl.com.
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Media Contact: Andrew Howard, [email protected]