Earlier today, the Associated Press announced all of the finalists for the National Football League's annual awards. While all the individuals who made the cut are deserving of recognition, there were some people left off the list that could have just as easily been finalists. With that in mind, let's take a look at the most important awards and identify one person who should have been named a finalist for each one.
MVP
Quarterback, Justin Herbert. Los Angeles Chargers.
LA lost both of its starting offensive tackles and was, honestly, a disaster when it came to pass protection. In fact, the Chargers' offense allowed the second-most sacks in the NFL this season. On top of that, Los Angeles had to go several games without their top two running backs, Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton. Despite all of these offensive deficiencies, Justin Herbert still finished in the top half of the league in passer rating and QBR. He was ninth in passing yards (3,727) and tied for eighth in passing TDs (26). More importantly, he led the Chargers to the playoffs with an 11-6 record. Without Justin Herbert leading the charge, LA would've been a bottom-five team in the NFL.
Honorable mention: Running back, Jonathan Taylor. Indianapolis Colts.
Offensive Player of the Year
Running back, Jonathan Taylor. Indianapolis Colts.
For the first half of the 2025-26 campaign, it looked like Jonathan Taylor was on pace to run for 2,000 rushing yards and score the second-most scrimmage touchdowns of all time in a single season. That all changed when Daniel Jones got hurt, and Taylor became the entire focus of the offense. Still, he led the NFL in total touchdowns (20) while finishing third in scrimmage yards (1,963) behind only Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey. Had the Colts made the playoffs, Jonathan Taylor would've been an Offensive Player of the Year award finalist.
Honorable mention: Running back, James Cook. Buffalo Bills.
Defensive Player of the Year
Linebacker, Jack Campbell. Detroit Lions.
Clearly, award voters valued quarterback pressures and sacks above all else, as all five finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year award ranked in the top ten in sacks during the regular season. However, Jack Campbell might be the biggest snub on our list. He finished the year with the second-most total tackles (176) and the fourth-most solo tackles (89) in the NFL. He also had three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and five passes defended. Though his pressure stats weren't gaudy, he recorded five sacks and 17 quarterback pressures (14th amongst all linebackers). For an off-ball inside linebacker who has to call defensive plays every single snap, those are excellent numbers.
Honorable mention: Defensive back, Kevin Byard III. Chicago Bears.
Comeback Player of the Year
Defensive end, DeMarcus Lawrence. Seattle Seahawks.
I'm not one of those people who consider players for this award when they take a big leap from one year to the next. To me, Comeback Player of the Year is reserved for players who can successfully return from injury and make an impact on the football field. Aidan Hutchinson is a shoo-in for this award, but another defensive end who should've made the final cut was DeMarcus Lawrence. After suffering a season-ending foot injury in Week Four of the 2024-25 season, Lawrence returned to Pro Bowl form with Seattle, where he is arguably the team's best pass rusher. During the regular season, he had six sacks, 11 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, and TWO defensive touchdowns. After that output, he was given a Pro Bowl nod.
Honorable mention: Quarterback, J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota Vikings.
Coach of the Year
Sean Payton. Denver Broncos.
It is quite shocking that Sean Payton was left off the list of Coach of the Year finalists, but that's probably because it was such a stacked field this season. Regardless, his Broncos took a massive leap forward, with four more wins than last year, as well as the number-one seed in the AFC. The team also won a playoff game for the first time since 2016. And, they did it on a day when second-year quarterback Bo Nix didn't have his best game. It feels like Sean Payton should've been a finalist for this award instead of San Francisco's Kyle Shanahan.
Honorable mention: DeMeco Ryans. Houston Texans.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Running back, Ashton Jeanty. Las Vegas Raiders.
Cam Ward has just as good a case for the biggest Offensive Rookie of the Year snub, but Ashton Jeanty gets the nod instead. Behind what was easily the worst offensive line in the National Football League, Jeanty almost went over 1,000 rushing yards and recorded 1,321 scrimmage yards (21st in the NFL). He had more scrimmage yards than other finalists for this award, like Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson. If the Raiders had just one good offensive lineman, Jeanty would've run for 1,000+ yards this season. Though his ten scrimmage touchdowns don't seem like much, Jeanty found the end zone more times this year than Saquon Barkley and Ja'Marr Chase.
Honorable mention: Quarterback, Cam Ward. Tennessee Titans.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Defensive tackle, Mason Graham. Cleveland Browns.
Since NFL awards are statistically driven, you're not going to see many defensive tackles ever be named Defensive Rookie of the Year. However, Mason Graham should have at least been a finalist for this award. If we can look past his one sack, we see an already elite interior defender. He ranked 15th amongst all DTs in solo tackles (36). In his position group, he also ranked 14th in quarterback hurries (31), 13th in stops (32), and 22nd in total pressures (36). It's a travesty that Mason Graham wasn't a finalist for this award.
Honorable mention: Linebacker, Jihaad Campbell. Philadelphia Eagles.
