NEW YORK — This year’s list of official contenders for NFL MVP is a reminder that quarterback remains, by far, the most important position in the game.
Well, that and wherever Christian McCaffrey is lined up on the football field — if you’re fortunate enough to have him in your lineup.
McCaffrey, a ninth-year pro, has become only the second player to be a finalist for three Associated Press NFL awards in the same year, with the versatile running back for the San Francisco 49ers joining a quartet of quarterbacks — Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars), Drake Maye (New England Patriots) and Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) — in the running for the 2025 season’s MVP honor.
McCaffrey and Maye are also finalists for offensive player of the year, while McCaffrey and Lawrence are also finalists for comeback player of the year.
The AP award winners will be announced Feb. 5 at the “NFL Honors” program, with NBC and NFL Network televising the event at 9 p.m.
A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began, and votes were tabulated by the accounting firm of Lutz and Carr. Voters selected a top 5 for the eight AP NFL awards. First-place votes were worth 10 points, with second-place votes worth five points, third-place votes worth four three points, fourth-place votes were worth two points, and fifth-place votes were worth one point.
Here are the finalists for the eight AP NFL awards — MVP, coach of the year, assistant coach of the year, comeback player of the year, defensive player of the year, offensive player of the year, defensive rookie of the year, and offensive rookie of the year — with the contenders for each honor listed in alphabetical order.
MVP
Allen, who was a first-time winner of this honor last season, threw for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, posting a 102.2 passer rating while leading Buffalo to a runner-up finish in the AFC East Division and its seventh straight playoff appearance. He also ran for 14 touchdowns this season, his eighth in the league.
Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft, helped Jacksonville to 13 wins and the AFC South title — securing the Jaguars’ first playoff appearance since the 2022 season — by passing for 4,007 yards passing and 29 touchdowns with 12 interceptions this season.
McCaffrey, the All-Pro first-team selection at all-purpose player, rushed for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns and caught 102 passes for 924 yards and seven touchdowns. He played a key role in helping the injury-depleted 49ers win 12 games to make the playoffs in the highly competitive NFC West, where three of four teams made the playoffs. The only other player to be a finalist for three AP NFL awards in the same season was Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who — like McCaffrey this year — was in the running for MVP, offensive player of the year and comeback player of the year last season.
Maye, a second-year pro, passed for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions to lead the Patriots to their first playoff appearance since the 2021 season and their first AFC East title since two years before that. Maye led the NFL in passer rating (113.5) and completion percentage (.720).
Stafford, who turns 38 in two weeks, led the NFL with his career highs of 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes (while being picked off just eight times) and finished second to Maye with a 109.2 passer rating. Stafford, the No. 1 pick of the 2009 draft, was an All-Pro for the first time in his 17-year career, getting the first-team nod at quarterback over Maye when those honors were announced two weeks ago. Last year, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens was the All-Pro first-team quarterback but was edged out by Allen for NFL MVP.
Coach
Liam Coen led AFC South champion Jacksonville to a 13-4 record in the regular season, with his first year in charge producing a nine-win turnaround from 2024 for the franchise.
Ben Johnson, another first-year head coach, guided the Chicago Bears to an 11-5 record, their first NFC North championship in seven seasons and just their third playoff berth in the past 15 years.
Mike Macdonald’s second season in charge of the Seattle Seahawks included a 14-3 showing in the regular season and the NFC’s No. 1 seed while winning a West Division that included the Rams and the 49ers as playoff qualifiers.
Kyle Shanahan guided the 49ers to 12 regular-season wins in his ninth year leading the team despite a slew of injuries to key players, including losing defensive stars Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for the season.
Mike Vrabel, the 2021 winner of the honor while with the Tennessee Titans, took the Patriots from worst to first in their division, a 10-win turnaround in his first season with the team.
Assistant coach
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are the finalists.
Comeback player
Lawrence, McCaffrey, Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs, Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott are the finalists.
Defensive player
All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. had 12 sacks for the Houston Texans and was a major part of the NFL’s top-ranked defense. Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto had 14 sacks for the league’s second-ranked defense. Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, a unanimous choice for All-Pro, set a single-season NFL record with 23 sacks, and he also had 33 tackles for loss; he won this award for the 2023 season. Detroit’s Hutchinson had 14 1/2 sacks. All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons of the Green Bay Packers had 12 1/2 sacks in 13 1/2 games before tearing his ACL in the 15th game of the season.
Offensive player
Maye, McCaffrey, Puka Nacua of the Rams, Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons and Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks are the finalists, and Nacua and Smith-Njigba were unanimous selections at wide receiver for the All-Pro first team. Nacua led the NFL with 129 catches for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns. Smith-Njigba led the league with 1,793 yards receiving and had 10 touchdowns among his 119 catches. Robinson, who was an All-Pro at two positions as the first-team running back and the second-team all-purpose player, led the NFL with 2,298 yards from scrimmage. He ran for 1,478 yards and seven touchdowns, and he caught 79 passes for 820 yards and four scores.
Defensive rookie
New York Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter, Seahawks defensive back Nick Emmanwori, Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr., Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Falcons safety Xavier Watts are the finalists.
Offensive rookie
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough are the finalists.