Minnesota Vikings end-of-season awards for 2025, including MVP and DPOY

With the Vikings' season in the rearview mirror, it's time to hand out some awards.

Dec 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jalen Redmond (61) reacts with linebacker Eric Wilson (55) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With the Vikings' 2025 season having wrapped up, let's hand out some awards to players who deserve recognition for their contributions. Some of these choices will be the same as our midseason awards, but the second half of the campaign also warranted some changes.

MVP + Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Jefferson

Jefferson was our pick for both of these awards at the midseason point, and even though he had his worst season in the NFL, he's still the pick. He played in all 17 games, trailing only right guard Will Fries in offensive snaps. And with a big game in the regular season finale, Jefferson secured his sixth straight 1,000-yard season with 84 catches for 1,048 yards and 2 touchdowns. Those poor numbers (by his lofty standards) were a result of both poor quarterback play and some unusual drops from Jefferson himself. Still, he remains extremely good at football, and there's no reason why he shouldn't bounce back with his usual 1,400-plus yards in 2026. Jefferson gets bonus points here for his leadership and patience throughout a difficult season.

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Defensive Player of the Year: Eric Wilson

Jonathan Greenard was our midseason pick, but his season came to an end after 12 games and 3 sacks. Although Greenard still managed to lead the Vikings in quarterback pressures with 47, his missed time opened the door for a few other players to be considered. And ultimately, Wilson is the choice. He signed a one-year, $2.6 million deal last offseason, ostensibly to be the No. 3 linebacker behind Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr. And then he proved to be way too good to keep off the field. Wilson racked up 115 tackles, 17 TFL, 6.5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles, becoming the first player to ever hit all four of those statistical marks since TFLs became an official stat in 1999. Sure, he missed some tackles and PFF didn't give him a good coverage grade. When you make that many splash plays as an off-ball linebacker, you had a heck of a year.

Special Teams Player of the Year: Will Reichard

There's no question about it. Punter Ryan Wright had a very good season, but Reichard was spectacular. He made 33 of his 35 field goal attempts (94 percent), with both misses coming from beyond 50 yards. I don't actually think either of those misses hit a camera wire, but it's a testament to Reichard's consistency that the wire conspiracy theory gained so much traction. He hit 11 field goals from 50-plus, including a franchise record 62-yarder, and he didn't miss a single field goal or extra point all year from under 50 yards out. It was remarkable to witness.

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Rookie of the Year: Donovan Jackson

Jackson, the Vikings' first-round pick, wins this one by default. Their only other rookies who played at least 100 offensive or defense snaps were Max Brosmer, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Ben Yurosek. Jackson didn't have an incredible rookie season, but he showed a lot to like while battling through a wrist injury and playing alongside multiple different left tackles and centers. The internal belief remains that he's going to be a very good NFL guard for a long time.

Most Improved Player: Dallas Turner

Defensive tackle Jalen Redmond also deserves consideration here, but the former UFL standout was already quite good in his limited opportunities in 2024. He translated that to a much bigger role this season, which was very impressive. But Turner legitimately took a major second year leap, raising his PFF pass-rush grade from 55.3 as a rookie to 70.2 in 2025. He led the Vikings with 8 sacks, tied Wilson for the team lead with 4 forced fumbles, and also broke up 3 passes. Turner finished the season with 6.5 sacks in the final 8 games and should be in line for even better things in year 3.

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