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.