On Thursday, the Associated Press revealed the finalists for NFL MVP and 7 different awards. The winners will likely be introduced on the NFL Honors on Feb. 5 (9 p.m. ET, NBC/NFL Community). Under are finalists for every award and Yardbarker’s picks.
MVP
- Buffalo Payments QB Josh Allen
- Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence
- New England Patriots QB Drake Maye
- San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey
- Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford
Our decide: Stafford | Stafford’s command of the offense was a sight to behold in 2025. He was the conductor of the league’s highest-scoring symphony, main the NFL in passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46).
The argument that his landing numbers are inflated due to a number of short-yardage scores — 17 of his landing passes had been 5 yards or shorter — doesn’t maintain water. Passing home windows shrink near the aim line, and quarterbacks must not solely make the correct choice but in addition the right throw in these conditions. It speaks volumes that the Rams constantly put their religion in Stafford to make the massive performs along with his arm.
That argument additionally ignores the truth that Stafford usually put the crew in place to transform short-yardage scores. Per Sports Info Solutions, he led the league with 36 deep completions. NFL Pro data exhibits that of his 30 completions that traveled at the very least 20 air yards, 10 set the Rams up of their opponents’ crimson zone.
Simply as essential to his candidacy was Stafford’s skill to keep away from destructive performs. Stafford’s 1.3 interception price was his lowest in 16 seasons as a main beginning quarterback. He was additionally sacked simply 23 instances, along with his 3.7 p.c sack price the second-lowest among quarterbacks with at the very least 300 move makes an attempt, trailing Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. — Eric Smithling
Coach of the 12 months
- Jacksonville Jaguars HC Liam Coen
- Chicago Bears HC Ben Johnson
- Seattle Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald
- San Francisco 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan
- New England Patriots HC Mike Vrabel
Our decide: Vrabel | Johnson deserves kudos for guiding the Bears to their first playoff win because the 2010 season, however we’re going with Vrabel, who turned the six-time Tremendous Bowl champion Patriots right into a contender once more.
In New England’s first season below the HC, the Patriots went 14-3 and received the AFC East after going 4-13 below former HC Jerod Mayo in 2024. The 2025 season marks the primary time the membership has received 14 or extra regular-season video games because the 2016 season, when it hoisted its fifth Lombardi Trophy.
The Patriots turned issues round with one of many youthful rosters within the NFL, a testomony to Vrabel’s teaching skill. Per Spotrac, New England entered the season with a mean age of 26.2, making it the fourth-youngest crew within the league. — Clark Dalton
Assistant Coach of the 12 months
- Philadelphia Eagles DC Vic Fangio
- Minnesota Vikings DC Brian Flores
- Denver Broncos DC Vance Joseph
- Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak
- New England Patriots OC Josh McDaniels
Our decide: McDaniels | The Patriots leaped an astonishing 28 spots in scoring offense in 2025, leaping all the best way to No. 2 (28.8 factors per recreation), up from No. 30 (17 factors per recreation) a season in the past. Beneath McDaniels’ watch, second-year quarterback Drake Maye led the league in completion price (72 p.c).
Tight finish Hunter Henry had a profession 12 months, whereas wideout Stefon Diggs efficiently got here again from a season-ending 2024 ACL harm to publish his seventh 1,000-yard season in eight years. Third-year wideout Kayshon Boutte additionally emerged after a quiet begin to his profession, whereas rookie operating again TreVeyon Henderson was one of three first-year players to achieve greater than 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
McDaniels was additionally inventive in his personnel utilization and formations. Per Sumer Sports, the Patriots ran 11 personnel (three broad receiver units) on lower than half of their offensive performs, nicely beneath the league common of 56.43 p.c. New England additionally used unbalanced formations greater than the norm and excelled when doing so, rating first in anticipated factors added per play in 2×1 formations. — Eric Smithling
Comeback Participant of the 12 months
- New England Patriots WR Stefon Diggs
- Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson
- Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence
- San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey
- Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
Our decide: McCaffrey | Achilles and knee points restricted McCaffrey to 4 video games in the course of the 2024 season. He rebounded in an enormous manner in 2025. The 29-year-old RB totaled 2,126 yards from scrimmage (1,202 speeding and 924 receiving), the second-highest mark in his nine-year profession and the second most within the NFL behind Falcons RB Bijan Robinson (2,298, 820 receiving and 1,478 speeding). For his efforts, the 49ers star made his fourth Professional Bowl and earned his third first-team All-Professional nod. — Clark Dalton
Defensive Participant of the 12 months
- Houston Texans DE Will Anderson Jr.
- Denver Broncos LB Nik Bonitto
- Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett
- Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson
- Inexperienced Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons
Our decide: Garrett | Garrett needs to be a unanimous decide after setting the season sack report (23). Per NFL Pro, he had 31 fast quarterback pressures and led the league in common get-off time (0.7 seconds), which measures how briskly a participant crosses the road of scrimmage on the time of snap. Garrett was an unstoppable pressure, solidifying his declare as the very best defensive participant within the sport. — Eric Smithling
Offensive Participant of the 12 months
- New England Patriots QB Drake Maye
- San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey
- Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua
- Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson
- Seattle Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Our decide: Smith-Njigba | When the Seahawks traded WR DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March, they had been clearly banking on Smith-Njigba changing into a No. 1 goal. That plan labored. The third-year WR broke out in 2025, main the NFL in receiving yards (1,793) and tying for sixth in TD catches (10).
And simply as essential for the Seahawks is that he grew to become a sure-handed choice for brand new QB Sam Darnold. According to Sports Info Solutions, he had one drop in the course of the common season on 163 targets, the fifth-most targets within the league. — Clark Dalton
Defensive Rookie of the 12 months
- New York Giants LB Abdul Carter
- Seattle Seahawks security Nick Emmanwori
- Atlanta Falcons DE James Pearce Jr.
- Cleveland Browns LB Carson Schwesinger
- Atlanta Falcons security Xavier Watts
Our decide: Emmanwori | A number of wonderful choices, however Emmanwori’s versatility on one of many league’s greatest defenses offers him the sting over his 4 worthy fellow nominees.
Per Pro Football Focus data, the 2025 second-rounder (No. 35 total) performed 395 snaps at slot nook and one other 312 within the field. Head coach Mike Macdonald, who calls defensive performs, even lined Emmanwori up on the line of scrimmage. He was efficient whatever the utilization.
Emmanwori notched an interception and was credited with 10 move breakups in protection by Sports Info Solutions, and he additionally generated a 29.1 p.c strain price on 64 pass-rush alternatives, ending the common season with 2.5 sacks. Emmanwori received stronger because the season progressed, too.
In Week 18’s highway divisional showdown with the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, he performed each defensive snap and allowed just 38 yards and two first downs on seven targets to tight finish George Kittle, operating again Christian McCaffrey and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, rewarding Macdonald’s religion. — Eric Smithling
Offensive Rookie of the 12 months
- New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka
- New England Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson
- Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan
- New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Shough
Our decide: McMillan | After the Panthers chosen McMillan with decide No. 8 within the 2025 NFL Draft, he revealed QB Bryce Younger urged the franchise so as to add the 6-foot-5, 212-pound wideout. The crew ought to thank Younger for doing so after it made its first playoff look since 2017 this season.
McMillan was pivotal within the crew’s resurgence. The previous Arizona Wildcats star tied for 14th within the league in receiving yards (1,014) and tied for fifteenth in TD catches (seven). With numbers like that, he deserves to affix former QB Cam Newton because the second Panther to win OROY. — Clark Dalton
