Christian McCaffrey, Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye among MVP finalists as NFL Honours nominations are announced
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is a finalist for MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, Jacksonville Jaguars' Liam Coen and Chicago Bears' Ben Johnson are nominated for Coach of the Year and New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is among the rookie candidates
Thursday 22 January 2026 15:21, UK
Christian McCaffrey has been named alongside four quarterbacks, including Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye, as a finalist for the NFL's MVP award.
The San Francisco 49ers running back is a finalist to win Offensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and league MVP, the latter for which Trevor Lawrence and Josh Allen are also nominated.
McCaffrey ranked second in scrimmage yards this season as he rushed for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns while making 102 catches for 924 yards and seven scores.
The winners will be announced at NFL Honours on February 5.
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Stafford is the apparent frontrunner for MVP as he prepares to lead the Los Angeles Rams out against the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday's NFC Championship Game. He topped all quarterbacks this season with 4,707 passing yards, and 46 touchdowns to eight interceptions while averaging 276.9 yards per game.
Maye, also up for Offensive Player of the Year, has starred in his second year with New England after completing 354 of 492 passes for a league-leading completion percentage of 72 while recording 4,394 yards (fourth-most) and 31 touchdowns (third-most) to just eight interceptions with a league-high passer rating of 113.5.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Allen is the reigning MVP after throwing for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions alongside his 14 rushing scores. Lawrence meanwhile produced a career-best season with 4,007 passing yards and 29 touchdowns to 12 interceptions under Coach of the Year finalist Liam Coen in Jacksonville.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson joins fellow first-year Coen in Coach of the Year contention after guiding the franchise to the NFC North title, their first in seven seasons, and the second seed in the NFC. They are rivalled by Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, who steered Seattle to the No 1 seed with a 14-3 record.
Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett is featured among the finalists for Defensive Player of the Year after breaking the NFL single-season sack record with 23.
Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,793, Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who had a league-high 129 catches for his second-most 1,715 yards, and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who led the NFL with 2,298 scrimmage yards, are finalists for Offensive Player of the Year.
MVP finalists:
- 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
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 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 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
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
Watch the Denver Broncos face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game and the Los Angeles Rams against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, live on Sky Sports NFL from 7.30pm on Sunday January 25.
