The 2025-26 NFL regular season is over. Fourteen teams have earned the right to keep playing, while 18 are officially on the clock for the 2026 NFL Draft. But before the playoffs begin, let’s take a look back at the best of the best from the NFL regular season that was.
A handful of members of The Draft Network’s staff and scouting department submitted their top five players (in order) to win the NFL MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and Protector of the Year awards. The votes were tallied up and the results determined TDN’s official NFL awards for the 2025-26 season. Let’s dive into all the winners.
Tiebreakers:
1. Most first-place votes
2. Number of ballots appeared on
3. Most second-place votes
NFL MVP
Just like you’d expect, the MVP race turned into an absolute dogfight between Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye. Not a single other player managed to snag a first- or second-place vote. In the end, Stafford’s absurd 46:8 TD-to-INT split was enough to earn him the nod. People will keep arguing about strength of schedule until they're blue in the face, but the truth is, both of these guys played well enough to take home the award.
OPOY
This was a fairly tight race with three players appearing on every ballot. In the end, Jaxon Smith-Njigba's nearly 1,800-yard season was enough to propel him to this award. Smith-Njigba led the NFL in receiving yards (17.93) and yards per touch (14.5) in 2025. Christian McCaffrey finished second in the voting and second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2,126). Puka Nacua led the NFL in receptions (129) and receiving yards (107.2) per game and came in third in the voting. Bijan Robinson came in fourth despite leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2,298).
DPOY
This one was a no-brainer. Breaking the single-season sack record is an automatic ticket to a unanimous NFL DPOY win, and Myles Garrett was simply in a league of his own. He’ll undoubtedly cruise to the award when the official results drop. Still, shout out to the guys who managed to make some noise behind him: Will Anderson Jr., Nik Bonitto, Brian Burns, and Danielle Hunter all earned well-deserved votes on at least four ballots.
OROY
Tetairoa McMillan takes home the OROY in a clean sweep, though Tyler Shough certainly made it interesting down the stretch. McMillan’s production was simply too consistent to ignore—he was the class' only 1,000-yard receiver, finishing his campaign with a 70/1,014/7 stat line. Meanwhile, the voting distribution raised some eyebrows. Ashton Jeanty appeared on only one ballot despite pacing all rookies in scrimmage yards (1,321), and RJ Harvey didn't receive a single vote, which is a shocker considering he led all first-year players with 12 touchdowns.
DROY
It eventually turned into a three-horse race for DROY, but Carson Schwesinger managed to pull away. He had to hold off some serious heat from Nick Emmanwori and the rookie sack leader, James Pearce Jr., to get there. Even as the Browns struggled through another rough season, Schwesinger remained a massive bright spot. Anchoring the middle of that Cleveland defense, he was a high-motor contributor from Week 1 all the way through his stellar rookie campaign.
Comeback Player
The Comeback Player of the Year award is always a bit of a wildcard since everyone seems to have a different definition of the criteria. This year, though, there was zero ambiguity. Christian McCaffrey was the runaway winner, securing 80% of the first-place votes after an incredible bounce-back campaign. While the 49ers' roster was decimated by injuries, McCaffrey was a rare pillar of health. He suited up for all 17 games and racked up a massive 2,126 total yards and 17 touchdowns after playing just four games last season.
Protector of the Year
This season marks the debut of the NFL’s newest honor, the Protector of the Year award. For our staff, it was an incredibly tight race that eventually went to Penei Sewell, though it was far from a blowout. While three different linemen managed to snag a first-place vote, the final tally essentially turned into a two-man race between Sewell and Garett Bolles. In the end, Sewell’s dominance was just enough to edge out a victory.
Coach of the Year
In his debut season in Foxborough, Mike Vrabel orchestrated a masterclass, leading the Patriots to a 14-3 record and an AFC East title just one year after the team sputtered to a 4-13 finish. That ten-win turnaround was more than enough to lock him in as Coach of the Year. While Vrabel was the clear frontrunner, he did face stiff competition from offensive gurus Ben Johnson and Liam Coen, who ignited massive turnarounds for the Bears and Jaguars. Meanwhile, Mike Macdonald’s success in Seattle kept him in the conversation as he led the Seahawks to the top of the NFC.