Tetairoa McMillan’s rookie year was good enough to make him impossible to ignore. The question now is how far the Carolina Panthers wideout can climb in Year 2.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com recently singled out a non-quarterback MVP candidate for each of the 32 teams, and his pick for Carolina was McMillan, the 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. That alone says plenty about where the former Arizona star stands after being taken eighth overall in the draft.
Patra’s case starts with how quickly McMillan became part of Bryce Young’s rhythm.
“It took about 45 seconds for McMillan to become Bryce Young’s go-to target,” stated Patra. “As a rookie, T-Mac feasted on intermediate routes, finishing with 70 total catches (on 122 targets) for 1,014 yards and seven TDs. As good as McMillan’s rookie season was, there was still significant meat left on the bone…”
The numbers back up the idea that there’s another level here. McMillan caught 57.4 percent of his targets and topped 100 receiving yards in only two of his 18 appearances.
At the same time, the late-season surge was hard to miss: five of his seven touchdown grabs came over the Panthers’ final seven regular-season games. Before that, he had scored just twice in his first 10 contests, both in a Week 6 home win over the Dallas Cowboys.
That’s why Patra sees room for a leap if McMillan sharpens the details.
“If the 6’5”, 212-pounder improves his contested-catch ability and route running to generate more separation, added Patra, “he could soar into the upper echelon of wideouts in Year 2.”
For Carolina, that kind of jump would mean more than just a nice sophomore season. A Pro Bowl nod or All-Pro recognition would fit the bill. Push even harder, and McMillan could enter the NFL Offensive Player of the Year conversation, an award that has gone to a wide receiver three of the past five seasons, including Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2025.
MVP, though? That’s a different mountain entirely.
The last 13 NFL MVPs have all been quarterbacks, with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford taking the honor in 2025. And the league has never given the award to a wide receiver.
That backdrop makes Patra’s choice notable, even if the odds are long. It also underscores just how much buzz McMillan has already built before the Panthers and Arizona Cardinals kick off the 2026 preseason in Canton, Ohio, 10 days from now at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly is part of the Hall’s 2026 class, along with running back Roger Craig, kicker Adam Vinatieri, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and quarterback Drew Brees.
McMillan is already showing up in the league’s conversation, too. He checked in at No. 87 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026.
For a second-year receiver, that’s a strong starting point. The next step is finding out whether his rise stops at Pro Bowl territory or keeps climbing into something even bigger.
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