Live updates, list of winners, best moments
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It’s awards night in the NFL.
The league is trading in shoulder pads and helmets for suits and ties as players, coaches and legends of the game are gathering in San Francisco for the 2026 NFL Honors ceremony. The MVP, major Associated Press awards and Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be revealed.
The show begins at 9 p.m. ET on NBC and NFL Network, with the red carpet starting at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
Follow along below for live updates, reactions and award announcements from NFL Honors as they happen.
- AP Most Valuable Player: Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
- AP Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots
- AP Assistant Coach of the Year: Josh McDaniels, OC, New England Patriots
- AP Offensive Player of the Year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
- AP Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns
- AP Offensive Rookie of the Year: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
- AP Defensive Rookie of the Year: Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland Browns
- AP Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- Protector of the Year: Joe Thuney, G, Chicago Bears
- Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year: Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints
- Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year: Bobby Wagner, LB, Washington Commanders
- Salute to Service Award: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Year: Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots; Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
- Deacon Jones Sack Leader Award: Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns
- Jim Brown Rushing Yards Leader Award: James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
- Art Rooney Award: Budda Baker, S, Arizona Cardinals
- Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026: Drew Brees, quarterback; Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver; Luke Kuechly; linebacker; Adam Vinatieri; kicker’ Roger Craig, running back (Senior category)
- Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year: Chicago Bears overtime touchdown in win over Green Bay Packers
- NFL Fan of the Year: Edward Callahan, Philadelphia Eagles
- NFL FLAG Players of the Year: Female, Ava Rotondi; Male, Brysen Wright
- Don Shula High School Coach of the Year: Dylen Smith, Palisades Charter High School, California; Dave Ettinger, Garden City High School, New York
Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year.
Wagner’s mother died when he was in college at Utah State and he’s honored her with the Phenia Mae Fund, which supports stroke awareness, education and patient care.
Wagner has been a national advocate for stroke awareness and patient support, expanding his impact in 2025 by helping fund pediatric stroke care and research at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. He has also invested in youth empowerment and education, using initiatives like his Tackle Everything Tech Tour to expose students to careers in technology and entrepreneurship.
Wagner, 35, finished fifth in the NFL with 162 tackles in 2025.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Mattherw Stafford edged New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye in the closest MVP race ever.
Stafford finished with 24 first-place votes and 366 points. Maye had 23 first-place votes and 361 points. Josh Allen (91 points, two first-place votes), Christian McCaffrey (71 points, zero first-place votes) and Trevor Lawrence (49 points, zero first-palce votes) rounded out the top five. Justin Herbert received one first-place vote.
FIfty voters selected a top five for the award. First-place votes are worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes are worth 5, 3, 2 and 1, respectively.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was named NFL MVP after leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns.
Stafford completed 388 of 597 passes (65%) for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Stafford, who will turn 38 years old on Saturday, announced he’s returning for 2026.
Here were the first-place votes:
- Matthew Stafford: 24
- Drake Maye: 23
- Josh Allen: 2
- Justin Herbert: 1
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the AP Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in receiving yards. Smith-Njigba finished with 119 receptions for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025. He had nine games of at least 100 receiving yards.
Here were the first-place votes:
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 14
- Christian McCaffrey: 12
- Puka Nacua: 8
- Bijan Robinson: 6
- Drake Maye: 5
- Matthew Stafford: 3
- Josh Allen: 1
- Trey McBride: 1
The Cleveland Browns have the Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger was selected as the AP Defensive Rookie of the YEar.
The second-round pick was sixth in the league with 156 tackles and added 2.5 sacks and two interceptiosn in 16 games in 2025.
Here were the first-place votes:
- Carson Schwesinger: 40
- Nick Emmanwori: 7
- James Pearce: 2
- Xavier Watts: 1
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba were named the FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Year.
Christian McCaffrey won his second award of the night. The San Francisco 49ers running back was named the Salute to Service Award recipient. His father, former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, announced the award.
The award is given to a person who displays “exceptional efforts” to honor and support members of the military community. McCaffrey launched the 23 and Troops organization in 2021, focvusing on helping veterans heal from post-traumatic stress.
There will be five new members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
WIde receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Luke Kuechly, kicker Adam Vinatieri, quarterback Drew Brees and running back Roger Craig make up the Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Craig enters in the Senior category.
The Chicago Bears won the Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year for their comeback victory against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ 46-yard game-winning touchdown pass to D.J. Moore in overtime to defeat the Green Bay Packers 22-16.
Arizona Cardinals’ safety Buddha Baker has been nominated for the Art Rooney Award for sportsmanship five times in the last six years. He finally won it.
Baker was named the winner of the award which recognizes on-field integrity, respect for the game and leadership.
The Cardinals are the second NFL team to have multiple Art Rooney Award winners. Larry Fitzgerald won the inaugural award in 2014.
Mike Vrabel won the AP Coach of the Year award after his first season with the New England Patriots.
Vrabel helped turn New England from a 4-13 season in 2024 to a 13-4 record this year and a trip to the Super Bowl. He edged Jacksonville Jaguars‘ first-year head coach Liam Coen.
Here were the first-place votes:
- Mike Vrabel: 19
- Liam Coen: 16
- Mike Macdonald: 8
- Kyle Shanahan: 6
- Ben Johnson: 1
San Francosco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey only played in four games last year due to injuries. He played all 17 games in 2025, with 2,126 total yards and 17 touchdowns in 2025.
Here were the first-place votes:
- Christian McCaffrey: 31
- Aidan Hutchinson: 9
- Dak Prescott: 6
- Trevor Lawrence: 2
- Philip Rivers: 1
- Chris Olave: 1
Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney is the winner of the first Protector of the Year award.
Chicago acquired Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs for a fourth-round pick last year. Thre three-time Super Bogwl champion has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last four seasons.
The award is dedicated to the best offensive lineman of the season based on skill metrics, impact, leadership, durability and strength of opponent. The voters for the 2025 season are former offensive linemen LeCharles Bentley, Jason Kelce, Shaun O’Hara, Orlando Pace, Will Shields and Andrew Whitworth.
Buffalo Bills’ offensive tackle Dion Dawkins was one of the proponents to establish an award for offensive linemen.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was selected as AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. McMillan, the No. 8 overall pick, recorded 70 receptions for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025.
The presenters were the mothers, wife, father-in-law and athletic trainer of the nominees.
Here were the first-place votes:
- Tetairoa McMillan: 41
- Tyler Shough: 5
- Grey Zabel: 2
- TreVeyon Henderson: 1
- Jaxson Dart: 1
Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan presented the first award of the night, AP Defensive Player of the Year. And he gave it to the man who broke his single-season sack record.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett won the award after setting the league mark with 23 sacks in 2025. Garrett broke the previous record of 22.5, held by Strahan and T.J. Watt.
It was unanimous, with Garrett winning all 50 first-place votes. It’s Garrett’s second Defensive Player of the Year award.
Host Jon Hamm opened with a monologue poking run at Aaron Rogers, Terry Bradshaw, Jerry Jones, the New York Jets and Bill Belichick not making the Hall of Fame.
Atlanta Falcons’ running back is the DJ for the event.
Josh McDaniels will coach in his 10th Super Bowl this week. He was named the AP Assistant Coach of the Year for his work in the regular season.
The New Patriots Patriots offensive coordinator received 17 of 50 first place votes to finish ahead of Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. McDaniels, who won six total Super Bowls in his two stints with the Patriots, was the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach from 2002-2023 before spending a year out of coaching. He returned to the Patriots in 2025 and New England was second in the NFL in scoring with 28.8 points per game.
McDaniels is not in attendance since New England is preparing for the Super Bowl and the league announced his award during the red carpet show. The rest of the awards will bge revaled live during the NFL Honors show.
Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer received one first-place vote in his final season before he retired last month.
Here were the first-place votes:
- Josh McDaniels: 17
- Vance Joseph: 10
- Brian Flores: 8
- Vic Fangio: 4
- Klint Kubiak: 3
- Matt Burke: 3
- Robert Saleh: 2
- Anthony Campanile: 2
- Aaron Kromer: 1
NFL Honors is from 9-11 p.m. ET.
NFL Honors is on Thursday, Feb. 5.
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 5
- Time: 9–11 p.m. ET
- Location: Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco
- Host: Jon Hamm
- TV: NBC, NFL Network
- Streaming: Peacock, NFL+
Celebrities, influencers and former and current NFL players have begun arriving in the red carpet for NFL Honors. The official red carpet show airs at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
Which awards will be announced at NFL Honors?
The year-end awards that will be announced are:
- AP Most Valuable Player
- AP Coach of the Year
- AP Offensive Player of the Year
- AP Defensive Player of the Year
- AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
- AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
- AP Comeback Player of the Year
- Protector of the Year
- Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year
- AP Assistant Coach of the Year
- Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
- Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026
- Salute to Service Award
- FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Year
- Deacon Jones Sack Leader Award
- Jim Brown Rushing Yards Leader Award
- Art Rooney Award
- NFL Fan of the Year
- NFL FLAG Players of the Year
- Don Shula High School Coach of the Year
Full list of NFL Honors nominees and finalists
AP Most Valuable Player
- WINNER: Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
- Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
- Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
AP Coach of the Year
- WINNER: Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots
- Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
- Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks
- Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
AP Assistant Coach of the Year
- WINNER: Josh McDaniels, OC, New England Patriots
- Vic Fangio, DC, Philadelphia Eagles
- Brian Flores, DC, Minnesota Vikings
- Vance Joseph, DC, Denver Broncos
- Klint Kubiak, OC, Seattle Seahawks
AP Offensive Player of the Year
- WINNER: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
- Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
- Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
- Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
AP Defensive Player of the Year
- WINNER: Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns
- Will Anderson, DE, Houston Texans
- Nik Bonitto, LB, Denver Broncos
- Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Detroit Lions
- Micah Parsons, DE, Green Bay Packers
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
- WINNER: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
- Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
- Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots
- Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
- WINNER: Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland Browns
- Abdul Carter, LB, New York Giants
- Nick Emmanwori, DB, Seattle Seahawks
- James Pearce Jr., DE, Atlanta Falcons
- Xavier Watts, S, Atlanta Falcons
AP Comeback Player of the Year
- WINNER: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- Stefon Diggs, WR, New England Patriots
- Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Detroit Lions
- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Protector of the Year
- WINNER: Joe Thuney, G, Chicago Bears
- Garrett Bolles, OT, Denver Broncos
- Aaron Brewer, C, Miami Dolphins
- Creed Humphrey, C, Kansas City Chiefs
- Quinn Meinerz, G, Denver Broncos
- Penei Sewell, OT, Detroit Lions
Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year
- Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
- TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots
- Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
- Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland Browns
- Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award honors a player who has had a significant positive impact on the community.
Salute to Service Award
- WINNER: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Minnesota Vikings
- Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys
FedEx Air and Ground Player of the Year
- WINNER: Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
- WINNER: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- WINNER: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
- Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
- Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
- Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
- Bijan Robinson, RB, Altanta Falcons
- Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
- Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Deacon Jones Sack Leader Award
Cleveland Browns Myles Garrett broke a single-season NFL record with 23 sacks.
Jim Brown Rushing Yards Leader Award
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook led the league in rushing with 1,621 yards.
Art Rooney Award
- WINNER: Budda Baker, S, Arizona Cardinals
- DeForest Buckner, DT, Indianapolis Colts
- Lavonte David, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Damario Davis, LB, New Orleans Saints
- Brian O’Neill, OT, Minnesota Vikings
- Harrison Phillips, DT, New York Jets
- Zach Sieler, DT, Miami Dolphins
- Kyle Van Noy, LB, Baltimore Ravens
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be revealed at NFL Honors. The NFL announced 15 modern-era finalists for the Class of 2026 in December:
- HALL OF FAMER: Drew Brees; quarterback; 2001-05 San Diego Chargers, 2006-2020 New Orleans Saints
- HALL OF FAMER: Larry Fitzgerald; wide receiver; 2004-2020 Arizona Cardinals
- HALL OF FAMER: Luke Kuechly; linebacker; 2012-19 Carolina Panthers
- HALL OF FAMER: Adam Vinatieri; kicker; 1996-2005 New England Patriots, 2006-2019 Indianapolis Colts
- HALL OF FAMER, Senior Category: Roger Craig, running back; 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-1993 Minnesota Vikings
- Willie Anderson; offensive tackle; 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens
- Jahri Evans; guard; 2006-2016 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers
- Frank Gore; running back; 2005-2014 San Francisco 49ers, 2015-17 Indianapolis Colts, 2018 Miami Dolphins, 2019 Buffalo Bills, 2020 New York Jets
- Torry Holt; wide receiver; 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars
- Eli Manning; quarterback; 2004-2019 New York Giants
- Terrell Suggs; outside linebacker/defensive end; 2003-2018 Baltimore Ravens, 2019 Arizona Cardinals, 2019 Kansas City Chiefs
- Reggie Wayne; wide receiver; 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts
- Kevin Williams; defensive tackle; 2003-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014 Seattle Seahawks, 2015 New Orleans Saints
- Jason Witten; tight end; 2003-2017, 2019 Dallas Cowboys, 2020 Las Vegas Raiders
- Darren Woodson; safety; 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys
- Marshal Yandal; guard/offensive tackle; 2007-2019 Baltimore Ravens
Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year
WINNER: Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ 46-yard game-winning touchdown pass to D.J. Moore in overtime to defeat the Green Bay Packers 22-16 in Week 16.
NFL Fan of the Year
- WINNER: Philadelphia Eagles: Edward Callahan
- Arizona Cardinals: Kenny Salinas
- Atlanta Falcons: Charlie Mcadoo
- Baltimore Ravens: Eric Ceelen
- Buffalo Bills: Therese Forton-Barnes
- Carolina Panthers: Lawrence Wilkinson
- Chicago Bears: Jonathan Otten
- Cincinnati Bengals: Steve Thompson
- Cleveland Browns: Kyle Kovach
- Dallas Cowboys: Tim Gipson
- Denver Broncos: Kevin Nunn and Sue Nunn
- Detroit Lions: Kyla Wright and Ninotchka Jackson-Wright
- Green Bay Packers: Ashley Christiensen
- Houston Texans: Sebastian Cruz
- Indianapolis Colts: Allison Balay
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Amanda Harper
- Kansas City Chiefs: Yvette Richards
- Las Vegas Raiders: Jeffrey Catterson
- Los Angeles Chargers: Lawrence Branton
- Los Angeles Rams: Da’Mon Jackson
- Miami Dolphins: Thomas Dubinski and Lydia Dubinski
- Minnesota Vikings: Leanne Adkins
- New England Patriots: Scott Richman
- New Orleans Saints: Angela Austin
- New York Giants: James Smolenski and Rosie Smolenski
- New York Jets: Maria Francisco
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Hayden Shock
- San Francisco 49ers: Donna Bettencourt
- Seattle Seahawks: Elise Robinson
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joseph Parrino and JoAnn Parrino
- Tennessee Titans: Francina “Kaye” Jernigan
- Washington Commanders: Stephen Boyd
NFL FLAG Players of the Year
Female finalists
- WINNER: Ava Rotondi
- Anna Anderson
- Sonya Chalil
- Kayla Tacker
- Haylee Weatherspoon
Male Finalists
- WINNER: Brysen Wright
- Wrigley Hamrick
- Alex Kramer
- Kason Turner
- Cole Ware
- WINNER: Dave Ettinger, Garden City High School, New York
- WINNER: Dylen Smith, Palisades Charter High School, California
