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The World Cup has come and at long last gone, and it really helped the doldrums of the NFL offseason pass by in a more fun way than usual.
Events like the World Cup are awesome because of their size and scope, and this is something that bleeds through even after the match itself is over. Given that this is the biggest sporting event in the world, the ramifications that come with winning it are immense and honestly beyond comprehension on some level.
Consider the young Spaniard Lamine Yamal. He is now regarded as someone who can literally contend with all GOAT-level accomplishments and trajectory… at just 19 years of age. It is insane.
That is what winning a World Cup (beyond everything he has achieved) can do for a legacy.
Who in the NFL can benefit from different legacy-type landmarks as well?
Which NFL player legacy would benefit most from a statistical title in 2026?
RJ:
When I think of statistical titles I think of leading the league in passing, rushing, sacks or something similar. The players who do this don’t always win individual awards which is why pulling this off is worth looking at on its own.
It is strange to debate the legacy levels of someone like Sam Darnold given that he just won a Super Bowl. I am in no way suggesting that he has anything to prove at this point.
But imagine if Darnold did air it out that way. His overall reputation would go from game manager who was a part of a great team to being a legitimate part of the operation. Incidentally it would be similar to the trajectory the last Seahawks quarterback who won the Super Bowl experienced.
Michael:
Raiders running back Aston Jeanty was the first runner taken in the 2025 Draft and he somewhat met expectations in year one with 975 rushing yards while playing behind an abysmal offensive line on an abysmal team. If that does not show a good bit of promise for the future should the overall team improve, I don’t know what does.
So can you imagine how fast Jeanty would shoot up to the upper-echelon of NFL running backs if he were to win a rushing title in just his second year? To show that his elite production numbers in college weren’t heavily due to him playing at Boise State?
Talk about instant star power.
Which NFL player’s legacy would benefit most from the MVP in 2026?
Michael:
My issue with the NFL’s MVP honor is that it doesn’t often actually go to the most valuable player. It goes to the BEST PLAYER on one of the BEST TEAMS.
Trust me, there are a lot of talent and deserving players who do win the award, but I’ve never liked that the center of the award doesn’t revolve around the player that is most valuable to their specific team. You can take some of these quarterbacks off their squads and they still have an amazing offensive line, a ferocious defense, etc.
I wish more people won it due to them taking an otherwise lackluster squad on paper to heights they never could have imagined.
But that’s all a monologue for another time.
If I had to think of a player whose career could take a notable directional change and/or drastically change the narrative by winning MVP, it’s hard not to look at Justin Herbert. He’s been the butt of numerous “if” cracks at his career and non-Chargers fans are getting tired of seeing him hyped when he has yet to win a playoff game.
Winning MVP has never been more of an actual reality for Herbert than this year with Mike McDaniel calling the plays. We all saw what McDaniel did with Tua Tagovailoa when he stayed healthy in Miami and I don’t think it a debate now which of those two is, and has been, the better quarterback. If Herbert were to finally put it together and return to the form he showed us in his first three seasons, I don’t see how he wouldn’t get real MVP looks come January.
RJ:
Winning the MVP is so hard. It requires team success and the proper narrative to work in your favor. You also tend to need to be someone who hasn’t won it before as winning it multiple times is particularly difficult. Sometimes the award is a matter of “he’s next.”
Last season saw Caleb Williams really announce himself to the world and an MVP feels like a next sort of step. If he were to take that step individually then it feels like the Bears are positioned for all of the other things to fall into place around him. Winning something like that for a team who has never really had a franchise quarterback of that ilk would go a long way.
Which NFL player’s legacy would benefit most from a playoff run?
RJ:
From a narrative standpoint, sometimes things like a deep playoff run can be as valuable, relatively speaking, as an actual title. Think about someone like Joe Burrow for example, all due respect.
In thinking about players who are close who have not made deep playoff runs, Justin Herbert comes to mind. People love to talk about how he has failed in the playoffs and right now the evidence all points in a single direction.
If the Chargers even just made an AFC Championship Game then it feels like the Herbert narrative could really blow up.
Michael:
I can’t go with the Chargers/a Chargers player in back-to-back prompts so I’m going with the Houston Texans. They’ve been good about getting past the Wild Card round, but they’ve hit a sticking point in the divisional round.
Doubts have swirled around C.J. Stroud and his future with the franchise passed the 2026 season and one really easy way to shut them all up is to prove that you can take your team farther than they’ve ever been in the postseason. Yes, that’s correct. The Texans have never gotten past the divisional round and it’s hard not to think that could actually happen this season with an improved offense and their already-elite defense.
Which NFL player’s legacy would benefit the most from winning a Super Bowl in 2026?
RJ:
I’m admittedly very biased here, but my answer is easily Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Someday the Cowboys are going to win the Super Bowl again. We may all be gone, but it is going to come together inevitably. I’ve long said that whoever is most responsible for getting the team back there, in essence the quarterback, is going to be treated differently than most Super Bowl-winning people of that variety given the spotlight surrounding the Cowboys.
If Dak can truly be The One who delivers The Ring back to Mordor then he will become invincible from a legacy standpoint. He easily has the most to gain because he has it all.
Michael:
I think this question is more fun if you pick a team that has never won a Super Bowl.
I think a team like the Minnesota Vikings would be amazing to see win it all, but that’s just not a very realistic option entering the 2026 season. It kind’ve has to be realistic or I’m just throwing out teams for the heck of it.
The Buffalo Bills finally winning a Super Bowl would be so incredibly celebrated – by both the fan base and the rest of the NFL – and the sight of the entire football world being happy for them after so many losses would maybe heal a lot of emotional damage for everybody.
Josh Allen has been spectacular for the better part of this decade and after he put together an MVP campaign in 2024, it’s time for his next goal to be achieved.
