100 days until kickoff: The 100 most important players for the 2026 NFL season

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With 100 days until kickoff, we break down the players who will define the 2026 season

Jun 1, 2026 at 12:32 pm ET • 31 min read

It's a beautiful day in the NFL world in what's otherwise a quiet stretch of offseason: Today marks 100 days until the Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots to open the 2026 season.

We, as human beings, love round numbers. They're easier to process than non-round numbers, and they're a more appealing benchmark, too. The 100-day mark feels more important than any of the days that came before it, even if, on a strictly numerical basis, the difference between 100 days away and 101 days away is tiny.

But here we are. And because we've reached this round number, we're celebrating appropriately with the 100 most important players for the 2026 season.

I did this exercise last year and the year before, and before we go any further, we'll acknowledge the misses we had, because I believe in holding myself accountable. Anthony Richardson played 14 snaps. Brandon Aiyuk didn't play a single snap, and the 49ers still made the playoffs. Marshon Lattimore didn't do much of anything. The Bears had a tremendous year despite Montez Sweat being just OK. Ryan Kelly didn't lift the Vikings' offense like I thought he could.

Importance can be put in a positive or negative light—or both. Christian McCaffrey made this list last year, coming off an injury-riddled season, and because he was healthy and productive, he carried the 49ers. J.J. McCarthy made this list last year and struggled, leading the Vikings to a loss. Both developments were important.

A few notes before we begin this year's version ...

This is the 100 most important players, not the 100 best players.
This is a list, not a ranking; the order doesn't matter.
Every team gets at least one player, because every team is important.
But the victors often write history, so better teams are generally going to have more players on this list.
Unlike previous versions, this year, we're putting the players into categories. Some players may fit multiple categories.

And lastly, this is a difficult exercise. My original list had nearly 150 players. It took me a week to narrow it down to 100, and it was excruciating. I agonized over several cuts, and some of the snubs will be in my 50 under-the-radar players with 50 days until kickoff, too.

Just because a player doesn't make this list doesn't mean he's not important. There are 2,700-ish players on NFL rosters right now. There will be 704 starters. I will have some swings and misses. We're trying our best here. Let's do it.