NFL Player News

A unanimous All-American who brought home Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year accolades, Campbell (6’5/249) was named the 2022 Butkus Award recipient given to the top linebacker in the country. He plays the position with a cerebral approach befitting a three-time Academic All-Big Ten student and is a savant at diagnosing play flow. The rangy MLB rarely lets rushers escape his grasp, which is reflected in his superb 8.9% missed tackle rate and 107 run stops over the last two seasons. The mechanics with which he plays the game are unassailable, but his length can hurt him in coverage and in change of direction situations. Campbell is at his best scraping and challenging ball carriers at the point of attack, though his 31.875” arms hurt his ability to out-leverage massive linemen. His Combine performance was near-perfect, with Campbell posting 97th+ percentile results in jumping and agility testing to go with a 92nd percentile 1.58s 10-yard dash to combine for an eye-popping 9.98 RAS. His play style and athleticism are reminiscent of former Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch.

Schwesinger notched 156 total tackles, 67 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, 11 TFLs, three pass breakups and two interceptions despite missing Week 18 with a high-ankle sprain. It was an extremely impressive season for the No. 33 overall pick in last year’s draft.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes that this was the closest MVP race since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair shared the award in 2003. Stafford narrowly beat Patriots QB Drake Maye, winning 24 first-place votes to Maye’s 23 while totaling 366 points to Maye’s 361. Stafford closed his acceptance speech by telling the audience he will return for another season in 2026.

Smith-Njigba put together an extremely impressive stat line in his third NFL season, catching 119-of-163 targets for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors this year after blossoming into a true No. 1 wide receiver.

The move reunites him with Giants head coach John Harbaugh. Roman previously served as Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the Ravens from 2019-2022. He served as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator under head coach Jim Harbaugh over the last two seasons. Per Carroll, Roman’s role will be on the offensive side of the ball.

The Patriots finished with a 4-13 record one year ago. Now, in Vrabel’s first season as head coach, they are preparing to play in Super Bowl LX against the Seahawks following a 14-3 season. Patriots OC Josh McDaniels was named Assistant Coach of the Year earlier this evening.

McCaffrey astonishingly handled a career-high 413 touches in his age-29 season, totaling 102 receptions, 2,126 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns. To say he deserves this award is an understatement. He notably won the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2023.

Thuney wins the NFL’s inaugural offensive linemen award in his first season with the Bears, who acquired him in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round draft pick in March 2025. Although the left tackle position remains one of the most important positions in football, Thuney, a left guard, winning the award proves that Protector of the Year will not simply be handed to the NFL’s best left tackle.

McMillan caught 70-of-120 targets for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns this season, leading all NFL rookies in the latter two categories. The Panthers’ promising youngster proved himself as an NFL-ready No. 1 wide receiver. He is primed for another big outing in 2026.

Per the Denver Post’s Luca Evans, Bonitto injured his wrist by “slamming the ground” moments after the Broncos’ Week 2 loss to the Colts. He then played the rest of the season with a large club on his right hand. Despite the issue, Bonitto still totaled 17 sacks this season.

Garrett totaled 23 sacks this season, setting a new NFL record along the way. He notably won Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 as well, following a 14-sack season. The nine-year veteran has astonishingly totaled double-digit sack tallies in all but his 2017 rookie season. The 30-year-old defensive end deservedly signed a four-year contract, averaging $40 million per year last offseason.