NFL awards: Patriots' Mike Vrabel wins his second Coach of Year; Myles Garrett is Defensive Player of Year

SAN FRANCISCO — When the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel last offseason, it was considered one of the best hires of the cycle. He had a track record of being a very effective head coach in the NFL.

But nobody expected a turnaround like the Patriots had.

Vrabel led New England to a stunning 14-3 record after they were 4-13 the season before, and he will be coaching in Super Bowl LX. That’s why Vrabel wasn’t on hand at NFL Honors to pick up his second NFL Coach of the Year award.

“It’s an honor to be recognized among the great coaches of our league,” Vrabel said in a video message he pretaped before the show. “Ultimately my name goes on this award, but this name belongs to a building, it belongs to a staff, and ultimately belongs to the men in the locker room who believed when they couldn’t always see it, and bought in when it wasn’t always easy.”

Vrabel was also the 2021 NFL Coach of the Year when he was leading the Tennessee Titans. Liam Coen of the Jacksonville Jaguars finished second, Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks finished third and Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears finished fourth according to AP. Vrabel had 19 first place votes. Coen had 16.

The rest of the annual awards from the NFL Honors show will be updated as they’re announced on Thursday night:

Defensive Player of the Year: Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett

It took Garrett a little while to break through and win an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

Now he has two.

Garrett, who won DPOY two years ago, won the league’s top defensive prize again. Garrett’s award was presented by Michael Strahan, who said Garrett won unanimously. Will Anderson Jr. of the Houston Texans finished second according to Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press.

“Based on the season I had, I was hoping it was unanimous,” Garrett said backstage after being presented his award. “I think I did enough to earn it.”

Garrett, the Cleveland Browns’ star defensive end, was an easy pick. He set an NFL record with 23 sacks this season. He has 125.5 sacks in his nine NFL season and just turned 30 years old, meaning he could enter the top-five all-time list in career sacks (Chris Doleman is fifth with 150.5) within the next two seasons.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan

McMillan, the eighth pick of last year’s NFL Draft, had a consistent, productive season for a Panthers team that won the NFC South. McMillan had 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. McMillan beat out Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson, Saints QB Tyler Shough, Giants QB Jaxson Dart and Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka, who were the other finalists.

“To me the most humbling part of this is I know I could have never done this by myself,” McMillan said as he was presented the award. “I’m just so grateful and so blessed.”

McMillan got 41 of 50 first-place votes, easily outpacing Shough who finished second and had five first-place votes according to the AP.

Protector of the Year: Chicago Bears G Joe Thuney

This is a new award to recognize offensive linemen, and the first winner of it was Thuney, the versatile guard who was in his first season with the Bears after four stellar seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Thuney has been in the NFL for 10 seasons, and he has been a Pro Bowler each of the past four seasons.

“I wanted to perform well to the guy next to me,” Thuney said after he was presented his award. “Just a lot of fun to go out there and play, and I credit my teammates for how I played.”

Thuney said it was pleased there is an award that recognizes the best offensive lineman in the NFL.

“It’s long overdue,” Thuney said.

Comeback Player of the Year: San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey played just four games during the 2024 season due to injuries. He came back strong, playing in all 17 games for the San Francisco 49ers and gaining 2,126 yards from scrimmage with 17 touchdowns with a huge workload all season. He had 311 carries and 102 receptions, which was impressive coming off an injury-marred season.

“This is a huge honor,” McCaffrey said as he was presented the award. “I’m so blessed to have the biggest support system on the planet.”

McCaffrey got 31 of 50 first-place votes according to AP. Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson, who got nine first-place votes, finished second.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Cleveland Browns LB Carson Schwesinger

Schwesinger was a second-round pick but he was the standout among the defensive players in the rookie class. Schwesinger had 157 tackles in 16 games, while adding 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. His all-around game allowed him to beat out Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori for the award.

Offensive Player of the Year: Seattle Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Smith-Njigba had a huge breakout in his third season, leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards. For his big season he was awarded the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. Smith-Njigba wasn’t on hand to accept his award at NFL Honors because he’s preparing for Super Bowl LX.

It was a close vote, with Smith-Njigba getting just 14 first-place votes. He barely beat Christian McCaffrey, who had 12 first-place votes. Puka Nacua, in third place, had eight first-place votes.

Smith-Njigba is the fourth receiver to win OPOY since 2019, and breaks a streak of two running backs winning the award (Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley).

NFL MVP: Rams QB Matthew Stafford

Stafford won an exceptionally close vote, barely beating out Drake Maye of the New England Patriots. Stafford had 366 points, with 24 first-place votes. Maye had 361 points, with 23 first-place votes. It’s Stafford’s first NFL MVP award at the end of his 17th NFL season.

Walter Payton Man of the Year: Washington Commanders LB Bobby Wagner

Wagner, a 14-year veteran with the Seahawks, Rams and Commanders, was given the prestigious honor for his work on and off the field. Wagner was awarded for his community service work, which includes being an advocate for mental health and social justice reform according to the Commanders’ site.

“I didn’t think I was going to win this award. I almost didn’t come,” Wagner said as he accepted the award. “I’m glad I did.”

NFL awards: Patriots’ Mike Vrabel wins his second Coach of Year; Myles Garrett is Defensive Player of Year

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