Sportsnaut
The 2025 NFL regular season has come to an end, meaning award ballots for Most Valuable Player, Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year are due. Whatever happens in the NFL playoffs will have zero impact on the NFL MVP race, with the numbers and performances from the 18-week season determining everything.
Let’s dive into our final NFL Award predictions for the 2025 season.
Before an underwhelming performance in a critical Week 18 game, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was in the running for Offensive Player of the Year. It now comes down to wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua. The Los Angeles Rams top pass-catcher has a compelling case as he led the NFL in receptions (129), finished sixth in touchdowns (10) and second in receiving yards (1,715) despite playing in just 16 games. We still give the nod to the centerpiece of the Seattle Seahawks offense.
In 2025, Smith-Njigba became just the fourth player in NFL history (Calvin Johnson, Tyreek Hill and Jerry Rice) to eclipse 1,800 scrimmage yards on fewer than 130 touches and he became the first player in the modern era to lead the NFL in receiving yards on an offense that ranked 30th or worse in pass play percentage. What Smith-Njigba did this season for Sam Darnold is more impressive than Nacua’s outstanding success in the Rams offense.
Read More: 2026 NFL Power Rankings, see where Seahawks land entering NFL Playoffs
This is the easiest pick to make among the NFL awards this season. Obviously, Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett broke the single-season NFL sack record and that in itself will earn him Defensive Player of the Year. Instead, we’ll highlight the fact that he finished with the second-most tackles for loss (33) in a single season, joining J.J. Watt (2012) as the only players in recorded history to net 30 TFLs in a season. Yes, Garrett’s new sack record came in 17 games but also consider that the Browns defense faced a rushing play at the seventh-highest rate (46.8 percent) this season.
Related: NFL Defense Rankings 2026
New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough made a late-season push for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but the nod goes to Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. He perfectly filled that long-standing void as the No. 1 receiver in the Panthers offense, turning 122 targets into 70 receptions for 1,014 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. McMillan had six games with 70-plus receiving yards during the regular season.
Related: NFL Playoff Predictions for Los Angeles Rams vs Carolina Panthers
Carson Schwesinger twice had to play through injuries this season, impacting his on-field performance, but he still easily takes home Defensive Rookie of the...
