{"id":692304,"date":"2026-01-20T23:21:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T23:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/692304\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T23:21:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T23:21:24","slug":"tetairoa-mcmillan-makes-history-with-year-end-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/692304\/","title":{"rendered":"Tetairoa McMillan Makes History With Year-End Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Tetairoa\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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Carolina Panthers Rookie Wide Receiver Tetairoa McMillan <\/a>has been named The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) Rookie and Offensive Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n

#panthers<\/a> WR Tetairoa McMillan named PFWA Rookie and Offensive Rookie of the Year<\/p>\n

McMillan was the the No. 8 overall selection in the 2025 NFL<\/a> draft out of the University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona).<\/p>\n

\u201cMcMillan is the first player in Carolina history to be selected as the PFWA\u2019s Rookie of the Year and is the second Panthers player to be the PFWA\u2019s offensive rookie of the year, joining quarterback Cam Newton, who won the award in 2011,\u201d Kassidy Hill wrote in a Carolina Panthers Article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tetairoa McMillan\u2019s 2025 Season<\/p>\n

McMillan started all 17 games for the Carolina Panthers in 2025. The PFWA Rookie of the Year caught 70 passes on 122 targets for 1,014 yards and 7 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

In addition, McMillan was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team showing that he could be a future star in the NFL.<\/p>\n

\u201cTMac, he was him,\u201d Bryce Young<\/a> is quoted as saying in Hill\u2019s Article<\/a>. \u201cHe was, he\u2019s exactly who he\u2019s been. He was elite; he\u2019s a special player.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be the offensive rookie of the year,\u201d Young added in the article<\/a>. \u201cI have all the confidence in the world, again, a special guy, stuff you can\u2019t teach, and all the stuff that you can, he\u2019s working super hard at, he\u2019s working to perfect it, and cares about the craft. Again, a special guy. I\u2019m super grateful that he\u2019s on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rookie wide receiver led the Carolina Panthers in receiving yards breaking the rookie franchise record previously held by Kelvin Benjamin.<\/p>\n

McMillan will be favored to win the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year<\/a>, being the only rookie to finish with 1000 receiving yards in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only rookie to finish over 1,000 rushing or receiving yards did just enough to claim the [AP] Rookie of the Year nod for me,\u201d Bill Barnwell wrote in an ESPN article<\/a>. \u201cMcMillan reached 100 receiving yards only twice, but he was consistently the most impactful receiver in Carolina\u2019s offense and the player Bryce Young looked to when the Panthers needed a big play.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Future Could Be Bright For The Carolina Panthers<\/p>\n

Tetairoa McMillan is just one of the few young stars that the Panthers look forward to developing.\u00a0Other players such as Bryce Young, Rico Dowdle<\/a>, and Jaycee Horn<\/a> all took a step forward in 2025.<\/p>\n

Dowdle, who was previously with the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> in 2024, rushed for over 1000 yards for the second straight season. Jaycee Horn led the team in interceptions with 5 and signed a four-year, $100 Million contract with the Panthers in 2025.<\/p>\n

McMillan will be a proven target for Bryce Young for years to come. Young threw for 3,011 yards with 23 touchdowns and a 63.6 completion percentage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we have a strong foundation of guys. I think that they \u2014 it\u2019s definitely something foundation-wise that we can definitely build upon,\u201d Panthers General Manager Dan Morgan said during his end-of season press conference.<\/a> \u201cAnd that\u2019s my job and my team\u2019s job and the coach\u2019s job and all of us collaborating together to bring the right guys and build this thing the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tDeonTay Smith<\/a> is a journalist who covers the NFL for Heavy.com with a focus on the Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and the Baltimore Ravens. A graduate from Methodist University, Smith also covers local news for the Panama City News Herald and hosts his own YouTube podcast. More about DeonTay Smith<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

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