As the 2025 NFL Postseason is beginning to wrap up, the NFL AP Honors are only days away. Throughout the season, we’ve seen numerous records being broken, from Myles Garret crowning himself as the new sack king to Trey McBride having a historic tight end season.
Here are my picks for each award for the 2025 season.
Most Valuable Player: Matthew Stafford
If you look at the rushing yards, EPA, completion percentage over expected, QBR, Maye takes the crown in all of those categories. The only ones that Stafford leads in are passing yards (Maye leads in total yards) and passing touchdowns. And while 46 touchdowns would be a dream season for any quarterback, we have to keep in mind the supporting cast. Maye has been able to do it, tossing the rock to an aging veteran, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, and the rest of the receiving room. Stafford, on the other hand, has arguably the best receiver in the league and a future Hall of Famer. While it is true the Patriots had a much easier schedule, the MVP conversation has never been about Strength of Schedule. Last season, Josh Allen had the 4th easiest schedule in the league. Cam Newton’s 2015 run? Easiest schedule out of 32 teams. Still, I think that considering Stafford’s almost-MVP level year, with his time on the clock almost out, the NFL will likely award Stafford the MVP award–it’s the narrative the media wants. A HoF QB in his near-final years, exiting with one final bang and an MVP. Plus, Stafford was already picked for the First Team All-Pro, over Maye, which “maye” be an indicator of things to come.
Offensive Player of the Year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
This one is a pretty close race between Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN), but what JSN has done for the Seahawks is undeniable. Starting off the season on pace to beat Calvin “Megatron” Johnson’s all-time receiving yardage record, JSN was able to cement himself as a favorite for OPOY early on in the season. Still, it’s just as possible that Puka Nacua could be the OPOY. While JSN has the Yards per Catch, Nacua was able to haul in more receptions on the same targets.
Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett
While Patrick Surtain II, Micah Parsons (before the ACL tear), and company have certainly been terrific this season, the defensive player of the year is not up for question. Myles Garret became the first NFL player to surpass 22.5 sacks in a season, beating out T.J. Watt’s and Michael Strahan’s record. While some may argue that Strahan did it in 16 games, Garrett’s impact in the pass rush game and ability to strike fear in quarterbacks has been unparalleled.
Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey
Coming off a brutal season last year, riddled with injuries, CMC has had no problem becoming the engine of the 49ers’ offense, leading the team in both receiving yards and rushing yards. While players like Joe Flacco, Trevor Lawrence, and Dak Prescott (and even Phillip Rivers!) have made a surprising return to relevance, none of them has had quite the impact CMC has had on the 49ers’ roster.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jaxson Dart
While Tetaroia McMillan is the betting favorite for offensive rookie of the year and, by all means, has had a fantastic rookie season, Jaxson Dart has certainly been a productive quarterback for the Giants. While Tyler Shough does have more passing yards, Dart makes up for that through his legs, rushing for almost 500 yards this season. Dart has had a higher QBR while starting in 4 more games, and also lost his WR1 early into the season. Nevertheless, both of these quarterbacks should secure the starting job next season.
Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel
Personally, I think that Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson have done an excellent job at changing the culture in their respective organizations. If post-season success mattered towards awards, Kyle Shanahan should definitely get at least a nod for how well he’s managed to push the Niners to wins throughout the season. Still, Vrabel has been able to turn the Patriots from a 4-13 team to the number 2 seed in the AFC and winning the AFC East, over the Bills – and that’s no small feat.
NFL Playoff Prediction and Honors
Wild Card round
AFC
Brocos Bye
Texans over Steelers
Jags over Bills
Pats over Chargers
Divisional
Broncos over texans
Pats over Jags
Seahawks over Niners
Rams over Bears
NFC
Seahawks Bye
Rams over Panthers
Niners over Eagles
Bears over Packers
MVP: Stafford
OPOY: JSN
CPOY: CMC
DPOY: Garrett
ROTY: Tmac
