NFL General News
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captain stone
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Here's a sneak peek at Blo-Dix new helmet design for the playoffs.
HSanders
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And the fact that their players are soft b******. I'll never forget how much they whined when vic fangio was their d c.
HSanders
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Ice_Ice_Brady
the executioner’s face is always well hidden
Jets salivating
captain stone
Well-known member
They need to beat Jacksonville for us first; then maybe...
Drake Maye, CMC, Mike Vrabel among our predictions for 2025 NFL regular-season awards
Maye and Vrabel have turned the Patriots into Super Bowl contenders, while McCaffrey helped keep a heavily-injured 49ers team afloat.
www.nytimes.com
The 2025 NFL regular season has officially come to an end. Fittingly, this highly unpredictable and wacky season’s final play even unfolded in dramatic, jaw-dropping fashion.
Now we’ll buckle up for a postseason that’s bound to feature all kinds of fireworks as the remaining 14 teams vie for the coveted Lombardi Trophy.
Also to come in the next several weeks: announcements on the winners of the major individual awards like MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, top rookie honors and more.
Looking into my crystal ball, I give you the slate of winners for the 2025 season.
Most Valuable Player: Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
Back in training camp we were wondering if Matthew Stafford’s back would allow him to make it through the first month of the season. Now, here the 37-year-old stands, the NFL’s leader in passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46) while directing the top-rated Los Angeles Rams offense and a team that ranks among the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Any other year, Stafford would be a slam dunk for MVP. And yet, there is another.Maye took a massive leap forward in Year 2 and has served as the catalyst for the Patriots’ surprising success. Passing for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, Maye registered some big-time performances down the stretch to help New England earn the AFC’s No. 2 seed. He’s also used his legs to buy time and escape pressure behind a shaky offensive line and has run for 450 yards and four touchdowns.
Josh Allen also has delivered another MVP-worthy season while leading a Buffalo Bills team that offers probably the weakest supporting cast he has had in years. But Maye’s season has been pretty special.
Offensive Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
The Seattle Seahawks’ third-year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba delivered one of the most dominant single-season performances in NFL history. His 1,793 receiving yards (on 119 catches and 10 touchdowns) rank eighth on the all-time list. The Rams’ Puka Nacua’s 129-catch (league-high), 1,715-yard, 10-touchdown season makes him worthy of consideration as well. And the Atlanta Falcons’ Bijan Robinson delivered one of the most dynamic and well-rounded campaigns with 1,478 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 287 carries and 820 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 79 catches.But McCaffrey truthfully is deserving of MVP honors given the way his production (1,202 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns and 102 receptions for 924 yards and seven touchdowns) kept the 49ers afloat despite two different injury-induced absences to quarterback Brock Purdy, a six-game absence for tight end George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall’s eight games missed to injury and an entire season missed by Brandon Aiyuk. McCaffrey’s 413 touches led the NFL, as did his total touchdowns.
Where would the 49ers be without Christian McCaffrey?Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images
Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns
Garrett ranks among the most unstoppable forces the league has ever seen. After averaging 12.8 sacks per season and recording 14 in both 2024 and 2023, Garrett turned in his most impressive season yet, setting the single-season sack record with 23. New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns turned in a stellar season with 16.5 sacks and 67 tackles. And Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter also impressed with 15 sacks and 54 tackles. But the gap between Garrett and the pack is significant.https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6941832/2026/01/05/myles-garrett-sack-record-browns/
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
The Arizona product is a truly polished young player who quickly developed into the go-to guy for Bryce Young and just got better as the season progressed, finishing the year with 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. His yardage set a Carolina rookie receiving record. For much of the year, it seemed as if McMillan and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Emeka Egbuka were in a neck-and-neck race for the top rookie honor, but McMillan pulled away to top his counterpart’s 63 catches for 938 yards and five touchdowns.New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough also made a strong push for the award, completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions and winning four of his last five games.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland Browns
The second-round pick out of UCLA turned in a rookie season that saw him record 156 tackles (sixth-most in the NFL), 2.5 sacks and two interceptions while helping anchor Cleveland’s top-five defense. Schwesinger faced competition from Atlanta safety Xavier Watts (five interceptions, 96 tackles) and Philadelphia linebacker Jihaad Campbell (80 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception), but Schwesinger’s impact has been undeniable.Comeback Player of the Year: Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Sidelined for the second half of last season by a right hamstring tear that required surgery to reattach the tendon to the bone, Prescott thundered back by throwing for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing a league-high 404 passes. The Cowboys boasted the second-most prolific offense in the league. If not for the lack of support that he received from Dallas’ porous defense, Prescott very well could have led his team on a playoff run.McCaffrey — limited to four games in 2024 by Achilles tendon and knee injuries — is another strong candidate after playing all 17 games and producing at such a prolific rate this season. Also worthy of the honor: the Detroit Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson, who recovered from a broken leg to record 14.5 sacks (fourth-most) while playing all 17 games this season.
Dak Prescott rebounded strong from a brutal hamstring injury suffered in 2024.Ishika Samant / Getty Images
Most Improved Player of the Year: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
After battling significant inconsistencies the last several seasons and seeing another challenging campaign (2024) end after 10 games because of a shoulder injury, Lawrence entered this season with loads of questions about whether he could ever live up to the billing of a true franchise quarterback. But Lawrence’s first season under Liam Coen has translated into immense growth. The quarterback ranked sixth in the NFL with 4,007 passing yards while completing 60.9 percent of his passes for 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and posting his best passer rating (91.0) in four seasons. Lawrence also rushed for a career-high nine touchdowns.Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots
He took a listless team that had deteriorated on Bill Belichick’s watch and continued its spiral in one season under Jerod Mayo, and in one season’s time, Vrabel has elevated the quarterback, gotten the defense right and has quickly restored the Patriots to one of the leading teams in the league. The Patriots boast the third-best offense, a top-10 defense and an impactful special teams unit and now appear to have as legitimate a shot at contending for a Super Bowl as anyone.The competition was thick this year. The 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan easily could have taken this honor home after keeping his team afloat despite a swarm of injuries that would have wrecked any other organization. Ben Johnson took the Chicago Bears’ job last winter and now has Caleb Williams playing like a franchise quarterback as Chicago won its first division title in seven seasons. Coen took a 4-13 Jaguars team and pulled off a turnaround that saw them post a 13-4 record and win the AFC South after closing the season on an eight-game winning streak, winning those games by an average of 19.1 points per game.
Assistant Coach of the Year: Klint Kubiak, OC, Seattle Seahawks
Plenty of assistant coaches have delivered impressive results this season. In Denver, Vance Joseph directs a championship-caliber defense. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel took Maye to another level and has masked the deficiencies of a subpar offensive line to direct a top-five offense. In Los Angeles, DC Chris Shula’s Rams defense also appears capable of leading a Super Bowl march.But Seattle offensive play-caller Klint Kubiak may have delivered the most impressive and surprising body of work in his first season with the Seahawks. From helping Sam Darnold further elevate his game, to turning Smith-Njigba into one of the most dangerous weapons in the league and giving Seattle an offense capable of perfectly capitalizing on the opportunities provided by a championship-caliber defense, Kubiak takes the cake.
Executive of the Year: John Schneider, GM, Seattle Seahawks
Schneider has repeatedly positioned the Seahawks for success, building a Super Bowl champion in the 2013 season, revamping the team once that window closed and now elevating the franchise to a 14-3 record this season and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. A year after getting the head coaching hire right with Mike Macdonald, Schneider made what looked like big gambles, moving on from DK Metcalf and Geno Smith, and he continued rolling the dice by signing Darnold.Each move wound up being right, and Schneider and the Seahawks have been rewarded. Robust draft classes have produced key contributors all over the roster, and trades and free agent signings have further fortified this team. Now, Seattle heads into the postseason with the No. 1 seed in the NFC and looks every bit the part of a Super Bowl contender.
