NFL Honors 2026: Full List of Winners for NFL’s Top Annual Awards

A full list of winners for every NFL award in 2025-26.

Myles Garrett is expected to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Before Super Bowl LX kicks off on Sunday, the NFL is recognizing the best players and coaches from the 2025 season during the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday.

The ceremony will see the winners of the league’s biggest annual awards announced, along with the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026. The majority of the NFL awards are voted on by the Associated Press after the regular season, though the newly-founded Protector of the Year award is voted on by a panel of former Pro Bowl and All-Pro offensive linemen.

Without further ado, here are the winners from this year’s NFL honors.

NFL Award Winners 2025-26

A list of finalists for each award can be found here.

• MVP: Matthew Stafford, Rams
• Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, Browns
• Offensive Player of the Year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks
• Defensive Rookie of the Year: Carson Schwesinger, Browns
• Offensive Rookie of the Year: Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers
• Protector of the Year: Joe Thuney, Bears
• Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey, 49ers
• Walter Payton Man of the Year: Bobby Wagner, Commanders
• Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel, Patriots
• Assistant Coach of the Year: Josh McDaniels, Patriots

In one of the most heated award battles of the season, Matthew Stafford has won MVP over Drake Maye. Both quarterbacks were the clear-cut contenders for the award, and Stafford comes out on top after leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns. This is the first MVP award for Stafford, who also made first-team All-Pro this season for the first time in his career. 

In the most obvious choice of NFL Honors, Myles Garrett won his second Defensive Player of the Year award after breaking the NFL’s official single-season sack record. 

From the quick turnarounds executed by Ben Johnson, Mike Vrabel and Liam Coen, the defensive excellence Mike Macdonald executed in Seattle, to Kyle Shanahan leading a severely banged-up 49ers team to the playoffs, it was hard for voters to go wrong while picking out this year’s Coach of the Year. Ultimately, Vrabel took the award after a stellar season leading the Patriots back to the Super Bowl.

Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger has now been crowned the Defensive Rookie of the Year after compiling 156 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. 

More: From Walk-On to DROY Favorite: Carson Schwesinger’s Improbable Rise to the NFL

Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba edged out Puka Nacua and Christian McCaffrey for Offensive Player of the Year, an award that has turned into the best non-quarterback on the offensive side of the ball. Smith-Njigba’s win comes after he lead the NFL in receiving yards.

After missing much of the 2024 season due to injury and shouldering the load for a heavily-injured 49ers team this season, Christian McCaffrey has been named Comeback Player of the Year. McCaffrey led the NFL in touches while compiling over 2,000 yards from scrimmage. 

Bears guard Joe Thuney has won the first ever Protector of the Year award, an honor that finally gives recognition to offensive linemen. Thuney joined Chicago in 2025, and helped significantly improve a line that finished 2025 ranked first in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric and fifth in their run block win rate metric.

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