Super Bowl week in the Bay Area also brings the NFL’s award season: the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday will hand out trophies for MVP, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and several other honors.
This season had dramatic swings for teams and individuals. At midseason Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor looked like possible MVP or Offensive Player of the Year contenders before injuries and team results changed the narrative. Myles Garrett got off to a slow start with just four sacks in six games, then finished the year with a historic run that set the single-season sack record. It’s a good reminder that fortunes can flip quickly; with the regular season concluded, CBS Sports’ NFL panel cast their votes for the year’s top performers.
Voters (12): Garrett Podell, Joel Colley, JP Acosta, John Breech, Kevin Steimle, Brian DeArdo, Douglas Clawson, Tyler Sullivan, Jared Dubin, Jordan Dajani, Mike Renner, Zach Pereles.
MVP
1. Drake Maye, Patriots (7 votes)
2. Matthew Stafford, Rams (5)
This was the narrowest split of any major award, with Maye edging Stafford. Stafford earned first-team All-Pro honors and has historical precedent on his side, but Maye topped the league in completion percentage (72%), yards per attempt (8.9), passer rating (113.5) and expected points added per dropback (0.28), which helped voters give him the edge. (Notably, All-Pro recognition doesn’t always translate to MVP — last year’s first-team All-Pro QB was Lamar Jackson while Josh Allen won MVP.)
Defensive Player of the Year
1. Myles Garrett, Browns (12 votes)
Garrett was the panel’s unanimous choice after posting a record-setting season. The fight for the runner-up spot included a group of elite edge rushers: Will Anderson Jr., Nick Bonitto, Aidan Hutchinson and Micah Parsons.
Offensive Player of the Year
1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks (9 votes)
2. Puka Nacua, Rams (2)
3. Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (1)
Smith-Njigba led the NFL in receiving yards (1,793), Nacua led in catches (129) and in receiving yards per game (107.2), and McCaffrey led the league in touches (413) and ranked second in yards from scrimmage (2,126). Smith-Njigba earned the nod for his remarkable consistency — his 16 games with at least 70 receiving yards tied the single-season league high.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
1. Carson Schwesinger, Browns (9 votes)
2. Nick Emanwoli, Seahawks (2)
3. James Pierce Jr., Falcons (1)
Schwesinger put together a strong rookie campaign with 156 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. The last rookie with that combination of high tackle totals, double-digit tackles for loss, multiple sacks and multiple interceptions was Shaquille Leonard in 2018, who won Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
1. Tetailoa McMillan, Panthers (10 votes)
Tied for second: Jackson Dart, Giants; Gray Zabel, Seahawks (1 each)
McMillan’s 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns made him the clear favorite for most voters, though Dart and Zabel received support as well. Dart threw 15 touchdowns and ran for nine more in only 12 games, and Zabel was an important addition to Seattle’s interior offensive line.
Comeback Player of the Year
1. Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (8 votes)
2. Aidan Hutchinson, Lions (2)
Tied for third: Stefon Diggs, Patriots; Dak Prescott, Cowboys (1 each)
After playing just four games last year due to Achilles issues and a sprained PCL, McCaffrey returned to appear in 17 games and was the 49ers’ most reliable offensive weapon amid teammates’ injuries. He topped 1,000 rushing yards and 900 receiving yards, matching a historic all-purpose benchmark.
Coach of the Year
1. Mike Vrabel, Patriots (6 votes)
2. Mike McDonald, Seahawks (4)
3. Kyle Shanahan, 49ers (3)
Vrabel earned the plurality after leading the Patriots from a 13-loss season to the Super Bowl — a turnaround that won him his second Coach of the Year nod (he previously won with the Titans in 2021). McDonald and Shanahan were close behind; all three are key figures as the league heads into the championship game.
Fan take: These results highlight how quickly narratives can shift in the NFL — from midseason favorites to late-season standouts and rookies breaking out. For fans, the awards underscore the emergence of new stars and dominant defensive play, both of which shape expectations and storylines heading into next season.
