Many of the greatest players in NFL history have been named Super Bowl MVP. Tom Brady (five), Patrick Mahomes (three), and Joe Montana (three) are among those who have won the award multiple times — all of whom are QBs.
As we near the 2026 Super Bowl, with the Patriots taking on the Seahawks, we'll dig into the top Super Bowl MVP picks for The Big Game on PrizePicks Team Picks, plus NFL MVP history to help you make your picks.
Make your Super Bowl MVP picks on PrizePicks and earn money if you're right, now available in 34 states. Just go to Team Picks on the app, click
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2026 Super Bowl MVP Favorites, Payouts
Four players — including both QBs — are clear favorites to win the 2026 Super Bowl MVP in Seahawks vs. Patriots, and three are Seahawks, as PrizePicks Team Picks list Seattle as a 4.5-point favorite. The top two MVP favorites are the QBs on either side.
- Seahawks QB Sam Darnold: 2.08x Yes | 1.66x No
- Patriots QB Drake Maye: 3.33x Yes | 1.29x No
- Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 5.55x Yes | 1.12x No
- Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III: 8.33x Yes | 1.05x No
- Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson: 22.22x Yes
- Patriots WR Stefon Diggs: 33.33x Yes
- Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp: 33.33x Yes
- Seahawks RB George Holani: 33.33x Yes
- Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson: 33.33x Yes
- Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed: 33.33x Yes
- Patriots CB Christian Gonazlez: 33.33x Yes
- Seahawks S Nick Emmanwori: 33.33x Yes
Team Picks data is live as of writing and is subject to change.
Super Bowl MVP History to Know
The first thing to know about Super Bowl MVP history: to win the award, a player virtually always has to be on the winning team.
Only one player has won Super Bowl MVP on the losing team. That was Dallas Cowboys LB Chuck Howley, who was named MVP of Super Bowl V despite the Cowboys losing 16-13. He had two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the game.
Becauase of that, we'll split our Super Bowl MVP picks below team-by-team, so you can pick your MVP based on who you think will win the game.
Breaking down the history by position, a quarterback has been named Super Bowl MVP 34 times. That accounts for 57% of the winners. Wide receivers have won eight times, running backs/full backs have won seven times, and a non-offensive player has won 10 times.
Seven of the last nine Super Bowl MVPs have been quarterbacks. The other two winners in that span were wide receivers — Cooper Kupp (8-92-2) and Julian Edelman (10-141). A running back hasn’t won the award in any of the last 27 Super Bowls.
The last defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP was Broncos LB Von Miller, with six tackles and 2.5 sacks in Super Bowl 50.
2026 Super Bowl MVP Picks if Seahawks Win
As noted above, 58 of 59 Super Bowl MVPs have been on the winning team. Here are the top Super Bowl MVP picks if the Seahawks win via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold Super Bowl MVP Payouts (via PrizePicks): 2.08x ($100 pays $208)
Given the trends of quarterbacks winning the award, Darnold is the top choice if the Seahawks win the Super Bowl.
Darnold was excellent in the Seahawks’ 31-27 win over the Rams in the NFC Championship, throwing for 346 yards and 3 TDs. In two playoff games, Darnold has not thrown an interception.
The former Viking completed 67.7% of his pass attempts during the regular season, which was the highest mark of his career. He completed 69.4% of his passes against the Rams and 70.6% of his attempts in a 41-6 drubbing of the 49ers in the Divisional Round.
During the regular season, the Patriots allowed the ninth-highest completion rate (66.4%) in the league.
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Super Bowl MVP Payouts (via PrizePicks): 5.55x ($100 pays $555)
Seahawks WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba had a spectacular regular season in which he caught 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 TDs. He accounted for 35.7% of the Seahawks’ targets and 49.2% of their air yards. The Seahawks didn’t need to throw much in their playoff win over the 49ers, but in their shootout with the Rams, their star wideout caught 10 of 12 targets for 153 yards and 1 TD.
Smith-Njigba has a touchdown reception in both playoff games for the Seahawks. He doesn’t receive a ton of red zone targets, but he comes with big-play upside. The former first-round pick had 27 receptions of at least 20 yards in 17 games. If he comes away with 100+ receiving yards and a touchdown again, he will be firmly in the Super Bowl MVP discussion.
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2026 Super Bowl MVP if Patriots Win
As noted above, 58 of 59 Super Bowl MVPs have been on the winning team. Here are the top Super Bowl MVP picks if the Patriots win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Patriots QB Drake Maye: Yes 3.33x
Drake Maye Super Bowl MVP Payouts (via PrizePicks): 3.33x ($100 pays $333)
Maye’s second season in the NFL has been a smashing success. He cut down on his interceptions and raised his completion rate to 72.0%.
As a rookie, the North Carolina-product completed 66.6% of his attempts. He wasn’t dink-and-dunking his way down the field either, with his average depth of target sitting at 9.5 yards, third-highest among qualifying QBs, per PFF.
What makes Maye appealing for the Super Bowl MVP is also his ability to do damage with his legs. He ran for 450 yards and 4 TDs during the regular season.
In the playoffs, he has 141 rushing yards and 1 TD on the ground. He could exploit this matchup with the Seahawks, who allowed the fifth-most yards per carry to quarterbacks (5.03) during the regular season.
Add the mid-week injury to Seahawks' star safety Nick Emmanwori, who sprained his ankle at practice, and Maye could have a leg up in this matchup.
Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez: Yes 33.33x
Christian Gonzalez Super Bowl MVP Payouts (via PrizePicks): 33.33x ($100 pays $3,333)
Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez allowed just 46.4% of passes thrown his way to be completed last season, he dropped that number to 41.9% this season.
Although Gonzalez did not record an interception during the regular season, he did pick off a pass in the Patriots’ 10-7 win over the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
Gonzalez’s path to winning Super Bowl MVP could be tricky. Not only will the Patriots likely need to win, but it would probably have to be a low-scoring game in which Maye doesn’t record many touchdowns.
However, if Gonzalez shuts down Smith-Njigba and comes away with a pick, he could be in the mix for the award.
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Make Your Super Bowl MVP Pick on PrizePicks
History suggests that a player on the winning team will likely be named Super Bowl MVP. Quarterbacks also tend to bring home the award, especially in recent years.
Darnold and Maye stand out among the favorites, while Smith-Njigba and Gonzalez are a couple of longer-shot picks who could find themselves in the mix if things break their way.
You can make your 2026 Super Bowl MVP pick for Seahawks vs. Patriots and earn cash if you're right with PrizePicks Team Picks — now available in 34 states!
Stay locked in on the Playbook for more Super Bowl picks, predictions, and analysis ahead of Seahawks vs. Patriots.
