NFL Honors Watch: Predictions for OPOY, DPOY, Top Rookies, Coach, Comeback Player

With the 2025 regular season in the books, the Defensive Player of the Year is clear. But what about Offensive Player of the Year? Which of many deserving candidates should win Coach of the Year? Who will take home the inaugural Protector of the Year award? 

Welcome to the final edition of NFL Honors Watch, where I pick a winner for a host of the major awards to be announced on the "NFL Honors" show during Super Bowl week. The MVP race is covered by my colleague Eric D. Williams in his weekly MVP Stock Watch. My focus is Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Protector of the Year, Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year. 

Here are my selections for each of those awards for the 2025 season.

Offensive Player of the Year: Rams WR Puka Nacua

Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba became the favorite here after the Colts’ late-season struggles doomed running back Jonathan Taylor’s candidacy. But Nacua’s dominance down the stretch gives him the slight edge over the Seattle star. 

Named to his second Pro Bowl this season, Nacua averaged a ridiculous 191.0 receiving yards per game from Weeks 14 through 16, highlighted by his 225-yard, two-touchdown outburst against the Seahawks in a Week 16 thriller. Nacua posted 1,715 receiving yards in just 16 games, leading the NFL in receptions (129) and yards per game for the season (107.2). 

Smith-Njigba may have edged him in total receiving yards (playing one more game), but Nacua tied him in receiving touchdowns (10) while also topping him in rush attempts (10), rushing yards (105), rushing yards per attempt (10.5) and rushing scores (1). 

Defensive Player of the Year: Browns DE Myles Garrett 

Garrett set the single-season NFL record with 23.0 sacks, the last of which came in Cleveland's finale against the Bengals. The perennial All-Pro edge rusher also led the league with 33 tackles for loss, to go with 39 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, 60 total tackles and a pass breakup. He's an easy choice for DPOY.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan

McMillan emerged as a No. 1 receiver for the playoff-bound Panthers in Year 1. The former Arizona star set a Carolina record for receiving yards by a rookie with 1,014, which led all NFL rookies this season. He also paced first-year players with seven receiving touchdowns and ranked third with 70 receptions.  

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Browns LB Carson Schwesinger

Schwesinger was the NFL’s most consistently impactful rookie defender in 2025. A second-round pick, the former UCLA star posted 156 tackles, which ranked sixth in the league. He led all rookie linebackers in stops, pressures and quarterback hits, per Pro Football Focus. 

Comeback Player of the Year: 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey

After missing 13 games last season due to Achilles tendinitis and knee issues, McCaffrey reclaimed his status as an elite running back in 2025. The Niners star was 76 receiving yards short of posting 1,000 receiving yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season for the second time in his career. 

McCaffrey led the NFL in touches (413), ranked second in scrimmage yards (2,126) and third in total rushing and receiving touchdowns (17), helping an injury-ravaged San Francisco team rack up 12 wins. 

Protector of the Year: Broncos LT Garett Bolles 

A first-time Pro Bowler, Bolles was one of two offensive tackles to not allow a sack this season, and his 19 pressures allowed tied for first place among all qualified OTs, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Coach of the Year: Patriots HC Mike Vrabel 

New England won 14 games in Year 1 with Vrabel, more than tripling its win total from a year ago (4). The Patriots won their first division title since 2019, had their highest win total in nine years and secured the AFC’s No. 2 seed. Who saw all that coming in 2025?

Mike Vrabel turned the Patriots around in his first year at the helm. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Assistant coach of the year: Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak 

In Kubiak’s offense, the Seahawks ranked third in the league in scoring (28.4 points per game), their highest ranking since 2005. After a breakout 2024 in Minnesota, Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold was even better in 2025, posting career-highs in completion rate (67.7%), passing success rate (50.0%) and yards per attempt (8.5).

Once Seattle's season ends, Kubiak should be a hot commodity in the head coach hiring cycle.

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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