With Week 8 of the 2026 NFL regular season in the books, NFL Channel is handing the midseason debate over to the fans, opening voting for its 2026 Midseason Awards across nine categories that recognize the league’s top performers through the first half of the season.
Voting opens Sunday, Nov. 8, during NFL GameCenter Live at 1 p.m. ET and stays open until Sunday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. ET. Throughout the week, viewers can scan the QR code displayed daily on NFL Channel to reach the voting page and lock in their picks, while NFL Media talent will share their own selections and debate the leading candidates along the way. The winners will be revealed one hour after voting closes, at 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 15 during NFL GameCenter Live, just ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football.
The Most Valuable Player race is a quarterback-heavy field, with Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Brock Purdy all in the mix, but Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba crashes that party as the only non-quarterback nominated and also shows up on the Offensive Player of the Year ballot, making him one of two players with a pair of nominations. The other is San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner, who is up for both Defensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.
Warner is part of a strong showing for the 49ers, who appear across five different categories with Purdy, Warner, tight end George Kittle, head coach Kyle Shanahan and their Week 5 matchup with the Seahawks all earning nods. Jacksonville and the New York Giants are also well represented with four nominations apiece, as the Jaguars put Lawrence, head coach Liam Coen, Travis Hunter and Bhayshul Tuten on the ballot, while the Giants counter with head coach John Harbaugh, Malik Nabers, Isaiah Likely and rookie linebacker Arvell Reese. Cleveland, meanwhile, landed two of the five Offensive Rookie of the Year spots with wide receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion, along with a Coach of the Year nomination for Todd Monken.
For fans who want to hear the case for each candidate before casting a vote, a special edition of NFL Pro with Brett Kollmann and Trevor Sikkema will stream Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 5 p.m. ET on NFL Channel, breaking down the nominees in every category.
NFL Channel is the league’s free 24/7 streaming channel and is available across all major FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) platforms, featuring studio shows such as NFL Report, NFL Pro, NFL GameDay Preview, Power Rankings and NFL Fantasy Live, along with game replays, original programming and NFL Media and NFL Films library content. More information is available at NFL.com/nflchannel.
Here is the full list of nominees in all nine categories.
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
