NFL awards predictions: Who will take home top honors for 2025 season? – Projecting the NFL’s top award winners isn’t quite as difficult as projecting who will take home an Academy Award. While voting for honorees in inherently subjective categories might cause some level of fluctuation, the huge sample size of a 17-game regular-season allows for some clear favorites to emerge for each distinction. NFL awards predictions
And while there have been a few shocks throughout the years, the pre-Super Bowl NFL Honors ceremony often functions as a coronation for contenders, with the outcomes locked in some time before. Nevertheless, with this year’s NFL Honors slated to take place Feb. 5 in San Francisco, here is USA TODAY Sports’ breakdown of what to anticipate with our expected winners in each category:
NFL MVP: Matthew Stafford
Last year gave rise to a rare commotion when apparent leader Lamar Jackson lost out to Josh Allen despite receiving the first-team All-Pro nomination at quarterback from the same voting panel. It doesn’t appear like similar turmoil is in store this time around. Stafford and Drake Maye produced a good – and then unhealthy – debate, but the Los Angeles Rams quarterback seems positioned to beat out the New England Patriots’ second-year signal-caller after winning the first-team All-Pro battle 31-18 (Josh Allen received one vote).
Maybe New England’s fortunate schedule had a part, though it’s dubious how much of an advantage that actually bestowed on Maye considering that the largest gain seemed to come from facing poor quarterbacks. At 37, Stafford still discovered new peaks in his performance, particularly in continuing to unlock explosive downfield connections while seldom putting the ball in harm’s way.
Offensive Player of the Year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The playoffs doesn’t go into awards consideration, so the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl run – and the receiver’s spectacular effort over the Rams in the NFC championship game – won’t come into play here. No matter for Smith-Njigba, who should still claim this honor. The third-year pass catcher was essential to Seattle’s effort to rethink its offense in coach Mike Macdonald’s second season, with Smith-Njigba routinely generating significant gains off play-action. His 1,793 receiving yards not only lead the NFL but were three times the total of any other player on the Seahawks’ roster. Rams receiver Puka Nacua made a real bid for this honor and even bested Smith-Njigba in yards per route ran. But Smith-Njigba gets the slender edge given his outsized importance to his team.
Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett
There’s no mystery as to whether the Cleveland Browns defensive end will earn this accolade for the second time in his career. The only outstanding doubt is whether he will become only the second player to accomplish it unanimously. After setting the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23, Garrett might be tough to dismiss, since all the other nominees are pass rushers who can’t measure up to his historic levels of disruption. His exceptional position was only emphasized by the lengths that opposing teams went to in the final four weeks of the season to prevent him from reaching the sack record.
Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Tetairoa McMillan This has been possibly the most challenging prize to track during the course of the season. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egubka grabbed early front-runner status with his scorching start, but he cooled off down the stretch. Preseason favorites Cam Ward and Ashton Jeanty couldn’t overcome their clubs’ individual flaws to remain in front of the pack. Instead, McMillan made a slow but persistent push by powering an otherwise listless Carolina Panthers passing attack with 1,014 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough caused some curiosity down the stretch, but his performance in nine games certainly wasn’t sufficient to overcome McMillan’s more robust body of work.
Defensive Rookie of the Year:
Carson Schwesinger Splash plays have frequently been the key in first-year defenders establishing a reputation for themselves, so making this honor the territory of edge rushers and cornerbacks. Schwesinger, however, looks destined to become just the second off-ball linebacker in the previous decade to emerge as a winner. As a second-round pick of the Browns, the former walk-on at UCLA continued to surpass some of his more praised colleagues, establishing himself as a rangy and consistent asset to the defense with a team-high 156 tackles. Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori concluded the season as possibly the most dangerous first-year defender, while edge rushers Abdul Carter and James Pearce Jr. also made a strong imprint. But Schwesinger set the standard with his steady level of excellent play. NFL awards predictions
Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey
No other award has such hazy criteria as this one. In other years, that’s made it impossible to get a hold on a probable winner. This year, things look quite basic. Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has a solid case, but McCaffrey, who also is a nominee for MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, bounced back to form for the San Francisco 49ers after missing all but four games last year due to two separate injuries. Long an oddity at a position that has been undervalued since his debut into the game, McCaffrey should add another excellent line to his long resume with this honor. NFL awards predictions
Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel
No category is as loaded as this one, since any finalist would make a superb champion in any given year. And though the postseason doesn’t carry any weight for this award, it’s fitting that it might come down to Vrabel and Mike Macdonald, the Patriots coach’s Super Bowl 60 adversary with the Seahawks. While Ben Johnson and Liam Coen orchestrated spectacular single-season turnarounds, Vrabel became just the third coach in league history to win 14 games in his first year with a franchise – and he did so with a roster that had its fair share of issues even after a significant summer makeover. Expect something of a split vote here, with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan also getting high consideration for his job handling a catastrophic run of injuries. But Vrabel’s record-tying 10-win improvement in Year 1 definitely takes him over the top.
Assistant Coach of the Year: Klint Kubiak
After a series of admittedly chalk picks, maybe there’s some suspense in the final few prizes, which lack any unanimity surrounding them. Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph could be the pick here after guiding the way for the NFL’s most terrifying pass rush, and Josh McDaniels did superb job in placing Maye and the rest of the Patriots’ offense to succeed despite some lingering roster constraints. Kubiak, however, was at the controls for one of this year’s most stunning reworkings with Seattle’s offense, and the unit managed to pull off the high-wire performance owing to his leadership. NFL awards predictions
Protector of the Year: Joe Thuney
Finally, the offensive linemen receive their due. The finalists here make for an intriguing group, with Trent Williams and some other more visible names not in the mix. While a committee of former blocking greats has been directed solely to take into account this season, Thuney would make for a worthy initial recipient given his outstanding career. But choosing him wouldn’t be a mere reflection of his body of work, as the first-team All-Pro left guard didn’t allow a sack this season and played a crucial part in stabilizing a formerly shaky front for Caleb Williams. This one, however, might truly go in either direction. NFL awards predictions
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