Myles Garrett was a wrecking ball during the regular season. He was rewarded during the NFL Honors award show in San Francisco for the damage he caused this season.
The Cleveland Browns defensive end was named the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career after setting the NFL record with 23 sacks during the regular season. He broke the record of 22.5 sacks that Hall of Famer Michael Strahan set with the New York Giants in 2001, and that Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt matched in 2021.
Garrett was a unanimous choice, earning first-place votes on all 50 ballots.
Garrett, who also won the DPOY award in 2023, has been one of the most effective and consistent defensive players in the NFL throughout his nine-year career in Cleveland. He has had double-digit sacks every year except for his rookie season, and is tied for 20th all-time with 125.5 sacks. The all-time leader is Bruce Smith (Buffalo Bills, Washington Commanders) with 200 sacks.
Garrett won with 500 points (all 50 first-place votes), followed by 177 for Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr., 63 points for Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons, 52 for Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto and Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who totaled 42 to round out the top five.
Zac Jackson, Browns writer: Garrett is one of one. His rare combination of size and explosiveness is why he’s won this award before, and 2025 was probably his best year in terms of consistent effort and disruption. He commands attention from opposing quarterbacks, play callers and offensive linemen at all times, and he often affects games even when he’s not recording sacks.
That he went from having five sacks after six games to setting the new single-season record of 23 is pretty astounding. And though Garrett turned 30 in late December, he seems to be very much in his prime. The chase for 25 sacks in a season resumes in September.
Josh McDaniels, Assistant Coach of the Year
McDaniels continues to find success as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator. After an unsuccessful two-year stint as Las Vegas Raiders head coach, McDaniels finds himself in the Super Bowl for the fifth time with the Patriots. The previous four times, it was with Tom Brady. Now, with Drake Maye. His offense ranked No. 2 in points scored and third in yards gained during the 2025 regular season.
McDaniels led the voting with 249 points (17 first-place votes), followed by Denver Broncos’ Vance Joseph’s 176 (10), Minnesota Vikings’ Brian Flores’ 130 (eight), Seattle Seahawks’ Klint Kubiak’s 102 (three) and Philadelphia Eagles’ Vic Fangio’s 78 (four), to round out the top five.
Tetairoa McMillan, Offensive Rookie of the Year
The Carolina Panthers’ 6-foot-5, 212-pound wide receiver caught 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season, helping his team win the NFC South.
In the voting, he won with 445 points (41 first-place votes), followed by New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough’s 168 (five), New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson’s 111 (one), New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart’s 88 (one) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka’s 66, to round out the top five.
Joe Thuney, Protector of the Year
The Chicago Bears’ guard won this inaugural award, which the NFL added to honor the best offensive lineman for pass- and run-blocking excellence. Thuney, who has won four Super Bowls (two with the Patriots and two with the Kansas City Chiefs), helped cut the number of sacks of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams from 68 in 2024 to 24 in 2025.
In the voting, Thuney beat out Denver Broncos tackle Garett Bolles, guard Quinn Meinerz, Lions tackle Penei Sewell, Miami Dolphins center Aaron Brewer and Chiefs center Creed Humphrey.
Christian McCaffrey, Comeback Player of the Year
The San Francisco 49ers’ all-purpose running back bounced back in 2025 with an amazing year, after injuries limited him to four games in 2024. The man they call CMC played all 17 regular-season games, rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns, and catching 102 passes for 924 yards and seven touchdowns.
He came 76 receiving yards shy of notching his second season of 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving — which he previously did in 2019, Roger Craig in 1985 and Marshall Faulk in 1999.
McCaffrey led the voting with 395 points (31 first-place votes), followed by Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson’s 221 (nine), Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s 167 (six), Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s 130 (two) and Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ 40, to round out the top five.
Saints wide receiver Chris Olave and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers, who ended nearly a five-year retirement to play three games this season, each earned a first-place vote.
Mike Vrabel, Coach of the Year
In his first year leading the Patriots, the former New England linebacker guided the team to a 14-3 record and a Super Bowl berth, a year after they finished 4-13. Vrabel also won the award as the Tennessee Titans head coach in 2021.
The Patriots are playing the Seahawks in Super Bowl 60 on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Quarterback Drew Brees, Craig, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Luke Kuechly and kicker Adam Vinatieri were elected to the 2026 class.
Carson Schwesinger, Defensive Rookie of the Year
The Cleveland Browns linebacker, drafted in the second round in 2025, had 156 tackles this season, 67 of them solo.
Zac Jackson, Browns writer: The Browns drafted Schwesinger to replace Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, a former Pro Bowler whose football future is uncertain due to a significant neck injury. Then, veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks retired in July at the beginning of training camp. So, Schwesinger went from fast-riser in the draft process to full-time player and signal caller in his first NFL season, and he continued to show up around the ball.
The Browns had one of the league’s best defenses despite the offense’s struggles, and Schwesinger’s range and instincts were a big part of that. His late-season streak of six straight games with at least 10 tackles propelled him toward this award, but the Browns knew even before the 2025 season began that they had a keeper.
Schwesinger won with 441 points (40 first-place votes), followed by Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori’s 199 (seven), Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr.’s 173 (two), Atlanta Falcons safety Xavier Watts’ 102 (one) and New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter’s 72, to round out the top five.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Offensive Player of the Year
The Seahawks’ third-year wide receiver has been nearly impossible to stop this season. During the regular season, JSN caught 119 passes for a league-leading 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Michael-Shawn Dugar, Seahawks beat writer: The Seahawks select weekly game captains instead of voting on a group of guys to wear a “C” on their chest the entire season. Smith-Njigba was named a game captain five times this season, including the Super Bowl. This week, Seattle players described Smith-Njigba as the ideal representative because of his character and leadership. Rashid Shaheed called him the “heartbeat” of the team.
The Seahawks have had great receivers over the years, but it is fitting that Smith-Njigba is the first in franchise history to win AP Offensive Player of the Year (and the second Seahawk, joining Shaun Alexander in 2005). He’s the best player on one of the best teams in franchise history and carries himself in a way that inspires others to follow his lead.
In the voting, Smith-Njigba led with 272 points (14 first-place votes), followed by McCaffrey’s 223 (12), Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua’s 170 (eight), Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson’s 168 (six) and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s 58 (five), to round out the top five.
Matthew Stafford, Most Valuable Player
The Los Angeles Rams quarterback, in his 17th season, passed for a league-leading 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns, winning the award for the first time.
Bobby Wagner, Walter Payton Man of the Year
The Washington Commanders linebacker, whose mother died in 2009 while he was playing at Utah State, honored her legacy with the Phenia Mae Fund to support stroke awareness, education and patient care.
Wagner also created the Tackle Everything Tech Tour initiative to expose students to careers in technology and entrepreneurship.