Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford leads the NFL in passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46) this season. Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images
Quarterbacks Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams), Drake Maye (New England Patriots) and Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) headline the list of five finalists for NFL MVP, which was released Thursday with the Associated Press’ other seven accolades for the 2025 season. This season’s awards will be announced at the NFL Honors ceremony on Feb. 5.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey round out the list. Both players are also up for Comeback Player of the Year, and McCaffrey is a finalist for Offensive Player of the Year.
McCaffrey missed most of the 2024 season after suffering bilateral Achilles tendinitis, which sidelined him for the first eight games of the campaign. He returned for four games before a PCL injury in his right knee forced him to miss the 49ers’ final five games. McCaffrey bounced back in 2025 by rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns with the Niners.
Other notable finalists include first-year head coaches Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars), Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears) and Mike Vrabel (Patriots) among the Coach of the Year nominees. Each coach’s squad reached the NFL playoffs, with Vrabel’s Patriots playing in Sunday’s AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos.
The full lists of award finalists are below.
MVP
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills QB
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars QB
Drake Maye, New England Patriots QB
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers RB
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams QB
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, New England Patriots WR
Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions DE
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars QB
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers RB
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys QB
Defensive Player of the Year
Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans DE
Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos LB
Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns DE
Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions DE
Micah Parsons, Green Bay Packers DE
Offensive Player of the Year
Drake Maye, New England Patriots QB
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers RB
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams WR
Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons RB
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks WR
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Abdul Carter, New York Giants LB
Nick Emmanwori, Seattle Seahawks S
James Pearce Jr., Atlanta Falcons DE
Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland Browns LB
Xavier Watts, Atlanta Falcons S
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Jaxson Dart, New York Giants QB
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR
TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots RB
Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers WR
Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints QB