It’s Super Bowl week in the Bay Area, and while the Lombardi Trophy is the ultimate prize, the NFL is also taking a moment to recognize the best of the best from the 2025 season. The NFL Honors show is set for Thursday night, where the league will hand out its top individual awards - MVP, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Rookies of the Year, Comeback Player, Coach of the Year, and more.
This season, like so many before it, reminded us just how quickly narratives can shift. At midseason, Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor were firmly in the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year conversations.
Then injuries and team struggles took them out of the spotlight. Myles Garrett, through six games, had four sacks - a solid start, but nothing that screamed “historic.”
Fast forward to the end of the year, and he’s sitting atop the record books with 23 sacks, rewriting the standard for pass-rushing dominance.
With the regular season now firmly in the rearview, here’s how one panel of NFL analysts cast their votes for the league’s top honors.
Most Valuable Player: Drake Maye, Patriots
In the tightest vote of the bunch, rookie quarterback Drake Maye edged out veteran Matthew Stafford for MVP honors, pulling in seven of the 12 votes. Stafford, the first-team All-Pro quarterback, had a strong case - and historically, that selection often correlates with MVP wins.
But not always. Just last year, Lamar Jackson earned the All-Pro nod, while Josh Allen walked away with the MVP hardware.
Maye’s numbers were impossible to ignore. He led the NFL in completion percentage (72%), yards per attempt (8.9), passer rating (113.5), and expected points added per dropback (0.28).
That’s not just efficient - that’s surgical. For a rookie to command the offense the way he did, especially in a Patriots team that made a massive leap this year, is nothing short of remarkable.
Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, Browns
This one wasn’t close. Garrett was a unanimous pick, receiving all 12 votes - and for good reason.
He didn’t just have a great season; he had a historic one. Finishing with 23 sacks, Garrett set a new single-season record and anchored one of the most disruptive defenses in the league.
The race for second place might’ve been more interesting, with names like Will Anderson Jr., Nik Bonitto, Aidan Hutchinson, and Micah Parsons all turning in impressive years. But Garrett’s dominance stood alone.
Offensive Player of the Year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks
Smith-Njigba took home this award with nine votes, beating out Rams breakout star Puka Nacua and 49ers do-it-all back Christian McCaffrey.
Smith-Njigba led the league in receiving yards (1,793) and tied the single-season record with 16 games of at least 70 receiving yards. That level of week-to-week consistency is rare - especially for a young wideout still carving out his identity in the league.
Nacua led in receptions (129) and yards per game (107.2), while McCaffrey continued to be a dual-threat workhorse, logging 413 touches and finishing second in scrimmage yards (2,126). But Smith-Njigba’s ability to stretch the field, move the chains, and deliver every single week gave him the edge.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Carson Schwesinger, Browns
Cleveland’s defense didn’t just have a star in Garrett - it also found a future cornerstone in rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger. He received nine of the 12 votes after a season that saw him rack up 156 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions.
That kind of all-around production is rare for a rookie. In fact, the last first-year player to hit those marks was Shaquille Leonard in 2018 - and he won this same award. Schwesinger’s instincts, range, and physicality made him a standout on a defense already loaded with talent.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers
McMillan was the clear favorite here, grabbing 10 votes after a stellar debut season. The Panthers wideout hauled in 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns - numbers that would be impressive for any player, let alone a rookie in a developing offense.
Jaxson Dart and Grey Zabel each received a vote as well. Dart, the Giants quarterback, accounted for 24 total touchdowns (15 passing, nine rushing) in just 12 games.
Zabel, meanwhile, has been a steady force on Seattle’s interior offensive line - a key reason the Seahawks are headed to the Super Bowl. But McMillan’s explosive playmaking and reliability made him the standout.
Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey, 49ers
After injuries limited him to just four games last season, McCaffrey returned with a vengeance in 2025. He played all 17 games - just the second time in his career he’s done that - and was the one constant in a 49ers offense that battled injuries across the board.
With Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings all missing time, McCaffrey became the heartbeat of the offense. He posted his second season with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 900 receiving yards - tying Marshall Faulk for the most such seasons in NFL history. Eight of the 12 voters gave him the nod for Comeback Player of the Year.
Aidan Hutchinson earned two votes after a strong bounce-back year of his own, while Stefon Diggs and Dak Prescott each picked up one.
Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel, Patriots
In a season full of coaching masterclasses, Vrabel’s stood out the most. The Patriots became the first team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl after losing 13 or more games the previous season - a turnaround that earned Vrabel his second Coach of the Year award (he also won in 2021 with the Titans).
Vrabel picked up six votes, edging out Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald (four votes) and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan (three). Macdonald, who will face Vrabel in Super Bowl LX, orchestrated an impressive campaign in Seattle, while Shanahan kept the 49ers in contention despite a revolving door of injuries. Still, Vrabel’s leadership and ability to reshape the Patriots’ culture in one season made him the top choice.
Final Word:
This year’s NFL Honors reflect a season that was anything but predictable. From rookies taking over the league to veterans rewriting records, and coaches engineering historic turnarounds, 2025 gave us a little bit of everything. Now, with the awards set to be handed out and the Super Bowl just days away, the league gets to celebrate the players and coaches who made this season unforgettable.