This year’s NFL Awards ceremony took place at the Palace of Fine Arts, just days before the Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Matthew Stafford emerged as the clear headline act, with the Los Angeles Rams quarterback named NFL Most Valuable Player following a sensational 2025 season.
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At 37, Stafford led the league with 4,707 passing yards, threw a league-high 46 touchdown passes, and posted an impressive touchdown-to-interception ratio of 5.8. He finished well ahead of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, outgaining him by 313 passing yards and throwing 15 more touchdowns. Stafford’s performance marked just the eighth time in NFL history that a quarterback recorded at least 4,500 passing yards and 45 touchdowns in a single season.
Defensive honours went to Myles Garrett, who was named Defensive Player of the Year after a historic campaign with the Cleveland Browns. Garrett set a new single-season sack record with 23, despite facing double teams or chip blocks on nearly 40 percent of his pass rushes. He also registered 33 tackles for loss, the second-highest total by any player since 2000.
Offensive Rookie of the Year honours were claimed by Tetairoa McMillan of the Carolina Panthers. The eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft led all rookies with 1,014 receiving yards, caught 70 passes, scored seven touchdowns, and set a new franchise rookie record.
The inaugural Protector of the Year award went to Joe Thuney of the Chicago Bears. Thuney did not allow a single sack all season and earned first-team All-Pro honours for the fourth consecutive year, anchoring Chicago’s offensive line during a dramatic turnaround.
Comeback Player of the Year was awarded to Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers. Returning from injury, McCaffrey amassed 2,126 scrimmage yards and 17 total touchdowns while starting all 19 games, including the playoffs.
Coaching honours went to Mike Vrabel, who was named Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots to a 14–3 regular-season record and a Super Bowl appearance in his first year at the helm. The 10-win improvement tied the largest single-season turnaround in NFL history.
Defensive Rookie of the Year was claimed by Carson Schwesinger of the Browns. Schwesinger led all rookies with 146 tackles and added 11 tackles for loss along with two interceptions.
Rounding out the major awards, Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seahawks was named Offensive Player of the Year. He topped the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, scored 10 touchdowns, and set a new franchise record despite playing in the league’s most run-heavy offence.
Super Bowl LX will be played on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The game will be broadcast live on NBC, with coverage beginning ahead of the 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
