Is Rams QB Matthew Stafford the MVP? Picks for every major NFL award

On Thursday, the Associated Press revealed the finalists for NFL MVP and seven other awards. The winners will be announced at the NFL Honors on Feb. 5 (9 p.m. ET, NBC/NFL Network). Below are finalists for each award and Yardbarker's picks.

MVP

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

Our pick: Stafford | Stafford’s command of the offense was a sight to behold in 2025. He was the conductor of the league’s highest-scoring symphony, leading the NFL in passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46). 

The argument that his touchdown numbers are inflated because of several short-yardage scores — 17 of his touchdown passes were five yards or shorter — doesn’t hold water. Passing windows shrink close to the goal line, and quarterbacks need to not only make the right decision but also the perfect throw in those situations. It speaks volumes that the Rams consistently put their faith in Stafford to make the big plays with his arm. 

That argument also ignores the fact that Stafford often put the team in position to convert short-yardage scores. Per Sports Info Solutions, he led the league with 36 deep completions. NFL Pro data shows that of his 30 completions that traveled at least 20 air yards, 10 set the Rams up in their opponents’ red zone.

Just as important to his candidacy was Stafford’s ability to avoid negative plays. Stafford’s 1.3 interception rate was his lowest in 16 seasons as a primary starting quarterback. He was also sacked just 23 times, with his 3.7 percent sack rate the second-lowest among quarterbacks with at least 300 pass attempts, trailing Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. — Eric Smithling

Coach of the Year

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

Our pick: Vrabel | Johnson deserves kudos for guiding the Bears to their first playoff win since the 2010 season, but we’re going with Vrabel, who turned the six-time Super Bowl champion Patriots into a contender again.

In New England’s first season under the HC, the Patriots went 14-3 and won the AFC East after going 4-13 under former HC Jerod Mayo in 2024. The 2025 season marks the first time the club has won 14 or more regular-season games since the 2016 season, when it hoisted its fifth Lombardi Trophy. 

The Patriots turned things around with one of the younger rosters in the NFL, a testament to Vrabel’s coaching ability. Per Spotrac, New England entered the season with an average age of 26.2, making it the fourth-youngest team in the league. — Clark Dalton

Assistant Coach of the Year

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

Our pick: McDaniels | The Patriots leaped an astonishing 28 spots in scoring offense in 2025, jumping all the way to No. 2 (28.8 points per game), up from No. 30 (17 points per game) a season ago. Under McDaniels’ watch, second-year quarterback Drake Maye led the league in completion rate (72 percent). 

Tight end Hunter Henry had a career year, while wideout Stefon Diggs successfully came back from a season-ending 2024 ACL injury to post his seventh 1,000-yard season in eight years. Third-year wideout Kayshon Boutte also emerged after a quiet start to his career, while rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson was one of three first-year players to gain more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage. 

McDaniels was also creative in his personnel usage and formations. Per Sumer Sports, the Patriots ran 11 personnel (three wide receiver sets) on less than half of their offensive plays, well below the league average of 56.43 percent. New England also used unbalanced formations more than the norm and excelled when doing so, ranking first in expected points added per play in 2x1 formations. — Eric Smithling

Comeback Player of the Year

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

Our pick: McCaffrey | Achilles and knee issues limited McCaffrey to four games during the 2024 season. He rebounded in a big way in 2025. The 29-year-old RB totaled 2,126 yards from scrimmage (1,202 rushing and 924 receiving), the second-highest mark in his nine-year career and the second most in the NFL behind Falcons RB Bijan Robinson (2,298, 820 receiving and 1,478 rushing). For his efforts, the 49ers star made his fourth Pro Bowl and earned his third first-team All-Pro nod. — Clark Dalton

Defensive Player of the Year

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

Our pick: Garrett | Garrett should be a unanimous pick after setting the season sack record (23). Per NFL Pro, he had 31 quick quarterback pressures and led the league in average get-off time (0.7 seconds), which measures how fast a player crosses the line of scrimmage at the time of snap. Garrett was an unstoppable force, solidifying his claim as the best defensive player in the sport. — Eric Smithling

Offensive Player of the Year

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

Our pick: Smith-Njigba | When the Seahawks traded WR DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March, they were clearly banking on Smith-Njigba becoming a No. 1 target. That plan worked. The third-year WR broke out in 2025, leading the NFL in receiving yards (1,793) and tying for sixth in TD catches (10). 

And just as important for the Seahawks is that he became a sure-handed option for new QB Sam Darnold. According to Sports Info Solutions, he had one drop during the regular season on 163 targets, the fifth-most targets in the league. — Clark Dalton

Defensive Rookie of the Year

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

Our pick: Emmanwori | Several excellent options, but Emmanwori’s versatility on one of the league’s best defenses gives him the edge over his four worthy fellow nominees.

Per Pro Football Focus data, the 2025 second-rounder (No. 35 overall) played 395 snaps at slot corner and another 312 in the box. Head coach Mike Macdonald, who calls defensive plays, even lined Emmanwori up at the line of scrimmage. He was effective regardless of the usage. 

Emmanwori notched an interception and was credited with 10 pass breakups in coverage by Sports Info Solutions, and he also generated a 29.1 percent pressure rate on 64 pass-rush opportunities, finishing the regular season with 2.5 sacks. Emmanwori got stronger as the season progressed, too.

In Week 18’s road divisional showdown with the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, he played every defensive snap and allowed just 38 yards and two first downs on seven targets to tight end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, rewarding Macdonald’s faith. — Eric Smithling

Offensive Rookie of the Year

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

Our pick: McMillan | After the Panthers selected McMillan with pick No. 8 in the 2025 NFL Draft, he revealed QB Bryce Young urged the franchise to add the 6-foot-5, 212-pound wideout. The team should thank Young for doing so after it made its first playoff appearance since 2017 this season.

McMillan was pivotal in the team’s resurgence. The former Arizona Wildcats star tied for 14th in the league in receiving yards (1,014) and tied for 15th in TD catches (seven). With numbers like that, he deserves to join former QB Cam Newton as the second Panther to win OROY. — Clark Dalton