NFL Announces Finalists for MVP, Other Major Season Awards

The winners will be announced at the NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb. 5.

Matthew Stafford is up for NFL MVP. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The NFL officially announced the Associated Press’s finalists for their major end-of-season awards on Thursday, ahead of this year’s NFL Honors. The ceremony—hosted by Jon Hamm—will take place at 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 5, during Super Bowl LX week in Santa Clara, Calif.

The AP annually presents eight awards that are officially recognized by the league. They are Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year.

Five finalists have been named for each award. Here’s a look:

Most Valuable Player

Stafford is the frontrunner to win NFL MVP. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Finalist	Team
QB Josh Allen	Buffalo Bills
QB Trevor Lawrence	Jacksonville Jaguars
QB Drake Maye	New England Patriots
RB Christian McCaffrey	San Francisco 49ers
QB Matthew Stafford	Los Angeles Rams

Offensive Player of the Year

Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the NFL in receiving yards in 2025. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Finalist	Team
QB Drake Maye	New England Patriots
RB Christian McCaffrey	San Francisco 49ers
WR Puka Nacua	Los Angeles Rams
RB Bijan Robinson	Atlanta Falcons
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba	Seattle Seahawks

Defensive Player of the Year

Myles Garrett broke the NFL's single-season sack record in 2025. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Player	Team
DE Will Anderson Jr.	Houston Texans
LB Nik Bonitto	Denver Broncos
DE Myles Garrett	Cleveland Browns
DE Aidan Hutchinson	Detroit Lions
DE Micah Parsons	Green Bay Packers

Comeback Player of the Year

Stefon Diggs caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns a season after tearing his ACL. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Player	Team
WR Stefon Diggs	New England Patriots
DE Aidan Hutchinson	Detroit Lions
QB Trevor Lawrence	Jacksonville Jaguars
RB Christian McCaffrey	San Francisco 49ers
QB Dak Prescott	Dallas Cowboys

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Tetairoa McMillan is considered the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Player	Team
QB Jaxson Dart	New York Giants
WR Emeka Egbuka	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB TreVeyon Henderson	New England Patriots
WR Tetairoa McMillan	Carolina Panthers
QB Tyler Shough	New Orleans Saints

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Carson Schwesinger tallied 89 total tackles as a rookie. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Player	Team
DE Abdul Carter	New York Giants
S Nick Emmanwori	Seattle Seahawks
LB James Pearce Jr.	Atlanta Falcons
LB Carson Schwesinger	Cleveland Browns
S Xavier Watts	Atlanta Falcons

Coach of the Year

Mike Vrabel has the Patriots on the doorstep of a Super Bowl appearance. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Coach	Team
Liam Coen	Jacksonville Jaguars
Ben Johnson	Chicago Bears
Mike Macdonald	Seattle Seahawks
Kyle Shanahan	San Francisco 49ers
Mike Vrabel	New England Patriots

Assistant Coach of the Year

Vance Joseph's defense led the NFL in sacks in 2025. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Coach	Team
DC Vic Fangio	Philadelphia Eagles
DC Brian Flores	Minnesota Vikings
DC Vance Joseph	Denver Broncos
OC Klint Kubiak	Seattle Seahawks
OC Josh McDaniels	New England Patriots

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