The only thing more stupid than trying to predict the NFL is trying to predict the season awards in the NFL, but what can I say, I’m stupid. In fact, it’s best to keep these predictions as an archive to list the things we believed before the season started, then go back and see how much has changed over the course of the year.
In the year It may not be a stretch to think that Matthew Stafford will win the MVP in 2025, or Christian McCaffrey will take home the Rookie of the Year award — but the idea that Jackson Smith-Njigba will win the Offensive Player of the Year, or that second-round pick Carson Schweisinger will win the Rookie of the Year, is intriguing.
Without further ado, let’s dive into who we think could win individual honors at the end of the season and why.
Most Valuable Player: Josh Allen, QB – Buffalo Bills
Call me a hater, but I’m still not entirely sold on Josh Allen deserving his first MVP award over Joe Burrow in 2024 — but he’ll lock up that award in 2026, and it won’t be even close.
This is the best offense Allen has ever had. yearsAnd the addition of DJ Moore at receiver has already been paying big dividends. Dual-threat stats will always be in the conversation, and I think Joe Brady now has the tools to open up Allen even more. It really wouldn’t surprise me if Allen passed for over 4,000 yards and 35+ total touchdowns this year. If that happens, and the Bills have a dominant regular season (which I think they will), he will easily take home the award.
Coach of the year Ben Johnson – Chicago Bears
The decision to pick Mike Vrabel over Ben Johnson or Liam Coyne last year was understandable considering Vrabel took the Pats to the Super Bowl in Year 1, but I think this season is where the offensive genius really blossomed. Expectations are high on the Bears this season, and I think this team will live up to them for the most part.
Part of it, like everything else, is historical context. Turnaround Teams This award has been given in each of the last six seasons, typically taking struggling teams and giving them to coaches who have made the playoffs. Kevin Stefanski did this twice with the Browns, heck Brian Daboll did it with the Giants.
At this point, only a previous playoff berth in Chicago keeps Johnson from winning this award.
Offensive Player of the Year: Bijan Robinson, RB – Atlanta Falcons
Have you seen the Falcons’ quarterbacks? It comes down to a pretty simple equation where you have horrible QB play and one of the best running backs in the NFL. In the backfield, there will be more safety checks for Robinson, so he can lead the team in receptions and eat up the run game.
Robinson finished with over 2,200 all-purpose yards last year, which tied for fourth in OPOY honors. He took home more than 2,500 walks this season.
Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, EDGE – Los Angeles Rams
Yes, I’m lazy here – so what? It will be his for the taking until someone shows he can stand up and lift Garrett. I’m not sure he’d have enough juice to take home the award if he stayed in Cleveland, but he’d put up stupid numbers in Los Angeles.
I don’t think it’s necessarily fair, since many different defensive backs’ stats are advanced and don’t show up in the box score, but until we come up with an easy way to evaluate DBs, this pass rusher and linebacker will be rewarded.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Carnell Tate, WR – Tennessee Titans
I love Teat for this award, for the same reasons Tetaroa won Macmillan in 2025. A team trying to prove itself in the passing game and a young receiver looking to connect with a young QB will find plenty of targets.
Tate’s one-on-one skills are fantastic, and I think he’ll pull off a lot of highlight-reel catches with Ward’s deep ball skills. I really like the fit on draft night, and I think it will last a year.
Defensive Player of the Year: Arvel Reese, LB – New York Giants
Reese was my 2nd favorite defensive player in this draft (behind Caleb Dance) because of his versatility and ability to impact the game at every level. No Love He’s in on John Harbaugh’s defense, and you get the feeling that this is one of the best and could reshape some ideas about overloading weapons.
When you pair Reese with that defensive line, he gets a lot of free looks. I can’t help but feel like he’s going to get a sack, force it, stop the run and pick up a couple of picks in the process. It’s going to be a big all-around year for rock, and I think that’s going to get him rolling for the award.
Player of the Year: Patrick Mahomes, QB – Kansas City Chiefs
It looks like Mahomes could literally come back this year, throw 20 picks and still win Player of the Year. That’s not going to happen (interruption episode), but he’s going to run away with this prize.
There’s an outside chance we’ll see someone like Aaron Donald get the most votes, but technically, that’s against the spirit of the award, which goes to a player who was injured or struggled a year ago. That said, if Donald returns to the NFL and gets 10.0 sacks, voters won’t care what the reward is.
Assistant Coach of the Year: Mike McDaniel, Offensive Coordinator – Los Angeles Chargers
Last year we saw Josh McDaniels win in New England with his work with Drake Maye, and this year it will be Mike McDaniels to open for Justin Herbert. Overall, I don’t know if the Chargers have the gas to get off the mound yet, but I think they’ll be pretty good this year, and why will McDaniels be creative.
