It is already time to be talking about the NFL’s biggest game, taking place on its grandest stage, the 2026 Super Bowl.
BetUS has a steady stream of NFL lines, props, and futures, so what better time than now to discuss this year’s Super Bowl MVP odds and the top five candidates for the award!
Quarterbacks Are Top 2 Betting Choices
The odds of having a Super Bowl quarterback matchup of Drake Maye and Sam Darnold were long at the start of the season.
But we are here now, and the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will play for the NFL championship on Feb. 8. Super Bowl MVP odds have the quarterbacks as the favorites with Darnold at +125 and Maye the second choice at +240.
Quarterbacks have dominated the MVP market when it comes to Super Bowl odds, and bettors have been rewarded in five of the past six years.
Coincidentally, the lone non-QB to win the award at that time will be playing in this game.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp earned the honor in Super Bowl LVI when playing for the Los Angeles Rams. He had 8 catches for 92 yards and 2 TDs in that win.
Kupp is +8000 in these MVP odds to win the award a second time.
Darnold is a strong favorite to be Super Bowl MVP. He has been brilliant over the last two seasons, leading the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks each to 14-win seasons.
It is a charming story for a player discarded by the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before turning into a gem at his last two spots.
Maye was the third pick in the 2024 NFL draft out of North Carolina. He had a spotty rookie year but blossomed in 2025 as New England turned things around under new coach Mike Vrabel.
He is considered the betting favorite in NFL odds to win the MVP award for the regular season. However, his performance in the playoffs makes him a risk in the postseason MVP category.
Smith-Njigba Has the Gift of Grab
There is a Seattle wide receiver who should play heavily into Super Bowl MVP odds.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is remarkable. Defenses and secondaries have not figured out a way to cover the wideout from Ohio State. He had a monster game in the NFC Championship contest against the Los Angeles Rams, catching 10 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown.
NFL Super Bowl odds in the MVP category have Smith-Njigba at +450. Those are extremely tempting.
The challenge, of course, for a wideout to win the award is that he is on the receiving end of passes from a quarterback, in this case Darnold, and that means the signal-caller has also had a huge game.
Another Seahawks wide receiver to consider when making NFL picks for Super Bowl MVP is Rashid Shaheed. He was picked up in a trade during the season and has given Darnold another great target. Shaheed is +3000.
Don’t discount him because he is a special teams wizard. Returning a kickoff for a score could boost his chances.
Remember, in Super Bowl XXXI, Desmond Howard of the Green Bay Packers was named MVP with 244 all-purpose yards, including a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Running Backs Are Long Shots
When looking at the history of Super Bowl MVPs, running backs have not proven to be solid risks when it comes to the category. No RB has won the award since Terrell Davis of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII.
Before that, it was Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVIII. In Super Bowl MVP odds for this game, Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III is listed at +650.
The shortest RB on New England in Super Bowl odds is Rhamondre Stevenson. He is +2500. Let the bettor beware before jumping in on any Patriots running back. They tend to split carries.
And the Winner Is…
Smith-Njigba has been remarkable this season. He is a quarterback’s dream.
A wide receiver that no one can stop. He is one of the main reasons why Darnold has had such a great season. The NFL odds are +450 for him to be named Super Bowl MVP.
Those are tempting and well worth a play.
Recent Super Bowl MVP Winners
- Tom Brady (2021) – All Tom Terrific did was leave New England, fly down to Tampa Bay, and win a seventh Super Bowl ring and his fifth Super Bowl MVP Award.
- Cooper Kupp (2022) – The Rams won the 2021 Super Bowl, but the actual game is, of course, held in February of the following year.
And in that game, no one was more valuable than Matthew Stafford’s former No. 1 target. Ironically, Kupp will be on the opposite side of the field in the upcoming NFC Championship when his Seahawks take on his old team from Los Angeles.
- Patrick Mahomes (2023 & 2024) – Only three players have ever won the Super Bowl MVP Award two years in a row. The legendary Bart Starr achieved the feat in Super Bowls 1 and 2 with the Green Bay Packers, while Terry Bradshaw did the same in 1979 and 1980 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would be several decades before the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes joined the exclusive club in Super Bowl 57 and 58.
- Jalen Hurts (2025) – The former Alabama/Oklahoma product led the Eagles to a sensational season culminating in a 40-22 victory over the Chiefs. Unfortunately for Philadelphia fans, the Eagles were bounced in the Wild Card round this season by the 49ers.
Did you know… In Super Bowl V (1971), Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley became the first-ever defensive player and the only player from the losing team to win the Super Bowl MVP Award due to his two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the Cowboys’ 16-13 loss to the Baltimore Colts.
