Patrick Mahomes enters the 2026 NFL season in an unfamiliar position: trying to complete a comeback.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is returning from a torn ACL and an LCL suffered late in the 2025 season, but expectations remain high for the three-time Super Bowl champion.
Mahomes has emerged as the betting favorite for the Associated Press’s NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and NFL.com placed him No. 1 on its ranking of the top 10 candidates for the award ahead of the season.
The gap between Mahomes and the rest of the field raises another question: Who has the strongest chance to challenge him?
Patrick Mahomes Enters 2026 as Comeback Player of the Year Favorite
Mahomes underwent knee surgery in December and has worked toward being ready for the Chiefs’ 2026 season opener. His injury ended an unusually difficult season for both Mahomes and Kansas City.
Mahomes finished 2025 with 3,587 passing yards, 22 touchdown passes, a 62.7 completion percentage and an 89.6 passer rating. Unfortunately, each figure represented a career low for Mahomes as a starting quarterback.
Kansas City also won only six games started by Mahomes and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Those results give Mahomes a clear statistical baseline from which to rebound while his knee injury provides the traditional comeback component associated with the award.
With Mahomes currently sitting as the No. 1 Comeback Player of the Year contender, it should be noted that 17 of the past 25 winners have been quarterbacks. A strong return could also put Mahomes in contention for more than one honor.
Mahomes already owns two NFL MVP awards, three Super Bowl MVP awards, six Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro selections.
Daniel Jones and Jayden Daniels Could Challenge Mahomes
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones is ranked second behind Mahomes for potential comeback of the year.
Jones is returning from a torn Achilles after an encouraging 2025 season ended with another major injury. Indianapolis started 7-1 with Jones at quarterback before his injury worsened. He played through a broken fibula before tearing his Achilles in Week 14. Jones is expected to be ready to play in Week 1.
Meanwhile, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels ranks third.
Daniels battled knee, hamstring and elbow injuries during a 2025 season that limited him to seven games. The Commanders went 5-12 after reaching the NFC Championship Game during Daniels’ 2024 rookie season. Daniels produced 4,459 combined passing and rushing yards and 31 offensive touchdowns during that rookie campaign. A healthy return to that level of production could make him one of Mahomes’ strongest challengers.
Kyler Murray and Micah Parsons Add More Competition to Award Race
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray ranks fourth on the comeback list for 2026. Murray played only five games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2025 while dealing with a foot injury. Arizona released him in March, and he subsequently joined Minnesota.
A successful first season with the Vikings would give Murray both an injury comeback and a change-of-team storyline as he attempts to reestablish himself as a starting quarterback.
Green Bay Packers linebacker Micah Parsons ranks fifth behind Murray. Parsons tore his ACL in Week 15 after recording 12.5 sacks in 14 games during his first season with Green Bay. He also underwent a procedure to repair his meniscus.
Parsons faces a more difficult historical path because defensive players rarely win Comeback Player of the Year. The last defensive winner was Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry in 2015.
The remaining top 10 candidates include Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Patrick Mahomes Still Has History on His Side
Recent Comeback Player of the Year voting has strongly favored quarterbacks.
Christian McCaffrey won the award for the 2025 season, ending a seven-year run of quarterbacks taking home the honor. Joe Burrow won in 2024, while Joe Flacco, Geno Smith, Burrow and Alex Smith won in the four seasons before that.
The BetMGM also continues to place Mahomes ahead of his challengers entering the season. That does not make the award automatic. Jones, Daniels and Murray all have paths to prominent comeback seasons, while Parsons could make a case if he returns to his All-Pro level.
Patrick Mahomes Leads Comeback Player of the Year Race Ahead of 2026 NFL Season