The NFL is following the lead of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, announcing the nominees for the league’s eight major awards for the 2025 season on Thursday, Jan. 22.
The NFL’s overall list of nominations contained few surprises. Five individuals were nominated for each of the league’s awards, and per usual, the league’s MVP race seems likely to draw the most attention ahead of the NFL Honors on Feb. 5.
Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye are engaged in what is expected to be a close race to win the NFL’s barometer for on-field excellent. The 37-year-old Stafford is favored over the 23-year-old Maye at present, but voting for the award figures to be tight nonetheless.
Elsewhere, the NFL’s Coach of the Year race is seemingly wide-open. Liam Coen, Ben Johnson, Mike Macdonald, Kyle Shanahan and Mike Vrabel all have strong cases to win the award, as three executed impressive organizational turnarounds while the two NFC West coaches turned their organizations into top contenders.
What about the rest of the NFL awards? Here’s what to know about the NFL Honors ceremony for 2026.
NFL awards finalists 2025
The NFL and the Associated Press have announced the finalists for the league’s eight major awards for the 2025 season. Below is a full look at the nominations for each honor, listed alphabetically by last name:
NFL MVP
- Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
- Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Coach of the Year
- Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
- Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks
- Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
- Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots
Assistant Coach of the Year
- Vic Fangio, Philadelphia Eagles
- Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings
- Vance Joseph, Denver Broncos
- Klint Kubiak, Seattle Seahawks
- Josh McDaniels, New England Patriots
Comeback Player of the Year
- Stefon Diggs, WR, New England Patriots
- Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Detroit Lions
- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Offensive Player of the Year
- Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
- Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
- Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Defensive Player of the Year
- Will Anderson Jr., DE, Houston Texans
- Nik Bonitto, LB, Denver Broncos
- Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns
- Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Detroit Lions
- Micah Parsons, DL, Green Bay Packers
Offensive Rookie of the Year
- Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
- Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots
- Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
- Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints
Defensive Rookie of the Year
- Abdul Carter, LB, New York Giants
- Nick Emmanwori, S, Seattle Seahawks
- James Pearce Jr., DE, Atlanta Falcons
- Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland Browns
- Xavier Watts, S, Atlanta Falcons
When are the 2026 NFL Honors?
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 5
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- TV channel: NBC | Peacock
The 2026 NFL Honors will be broadcast at 9 p.m. ET on Feb. 5 by NBC. Jon Hamm will host the awards ceremony, which will take place three days before NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl 60.
The NFL will announce the winners of all its awards for the 2025 season during the event as well as the inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2026.
