• Lamar Jackson scoops up his second MVP award: The Ravens quarterback became just the eighth player to win multiple MVP awards.
• A clean sweep for the Texans: C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. took home the Rookie of the Year awards for the Houston Texans.
• A big night for the Cleveland Browns: The Browns won three awards, with Joe Flacco, Kevin Stefanski and Jim Schwartz all earning honors.
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
The NFL wrapped up its annual awards in Las Vegas on Thursday night, crowning the regular-season award winners ahead of Super Bowl 58 on Sunday night. Below is a list of the winners from the night and why they won the award.
Most Valuable Player: QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Jackson entered rarified air on Thursday night in Las Vegas. The Ravens’ electrifying quarterback became just the eighth player in NFL history to win more than one MVP award and also became the youngest player to ever win multiple MVP awards, beating out Patrick Mahomes en route to history.
The season didn’t quite end the way Jackson and the Ravens would have wanted, but his MVP honor is thoroughly deserved. Jackson completed a career-high 67.2% of his pass attempts for a career-high 3,678 passing yards and 24 touchdowns while adding another 821 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
The now two-time MVP winner earned a 90.4 overall grade and continued to hone his skills as a passer, adding a career-high 24 big-time throws and earning an 83.8 grade when blitzed — an area where Jackson has traditionally struggled. He was just one vote shy from becoming a two-time unanimous MVP. A worthy winner.
Offensive Player of the Year: RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
For the past year and a half, Christian McCaffrey has been a devastating force for the San Francisco 49ers, and in his first full season with the team, he justly wrapped up the Offensive Player of the Year award. McCaffrey earned a career-high 90.6 grade while averaging near career highs across the board. The star running back rushed for a league-leading 1,459 rushing yards at a 5.4 clip and led the league in total yards from scrimmage (2,023).
McCaffrey cemented himself as the best running back in the league in 2023, emphasized by his career-high 90.6 rushing grade and a career-high 3.42 yards after contact per attempt, the seventh-best number in the NFL. But his ability to catch passes out of the backfield remained unparalleled too, catching 67 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns. A Super Bowl win on Sunday could top an excellent individual season.
Defensive Player of the Year: EDGE Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
After a few years of coming close, Myles Garrett finally won the big one. Garrett has long been one of the best, if not the best, pass rushers in the NFL since he stepped foot in the league back in 2017. He has amassed 88.5 sacks in 100 regular-season games. This season might have been Garrett’s magnum opus. The former No. 1 pick notched 14 sacks while setting a career high with 86 pressures and leading all defenders with a 93.6 grade.
Garrett’s candidacy this season, compared to other seasons, will have been boosted by anchoring one of the league’s top defenses, too. The Browns earned an 84.4 defense grade through the regular season and allowed just 274.9 yards per game. The debate over who the NFL's best pass rusher is will rage on, but for now, the bragging rights belong to Myles Garrett.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Stroud ended his historic rookie campaign by rightfully winning the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award with 48 votes. The 2023 No. 2 overall pick was on another level in his first season, completing 63.9% of his passes for 4,103 yards and 23 touchdowns while throwing just five interceptions. Stroud earned an 82.8 grade in the regular season, and his performances helped the Houston Texans secure their first division title since 2019.
Everything about Stroud’s game was impressive. His composure, poise and ability to lead an offense as a rookie stood out, but his natural arm talent was on display all season long. His 23 big-time throws ranked 16th, in line with the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, and Stroud has already cemented himself as one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: EDGE Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans
Just like the New York Jets a season prior, the Houston Texans swept the rookie awards, with Will Anderson Jr. earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. The No. 3 pick earned an 81.8 regular-season grade, led all rookies with 59 quarterback pressures and 14 quarterback hits and added seven sacks.
On top of that, Anderson's 77.2 run-defense grade ranked second among all defensive linemen and his 30 stops placed fourth. Despite being just 22 years old, Anderson already plays like a veteran and will only continue to grow.
Coach of the Year: Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns sifted through adversity in the regular season and became the first team since 1987 to start five different quarterbacks in a single season. Despite that, the Browns finished with an 11-6 record and made the playoffs for just the third time since 1999. Stefanski finished with the same voting points as Texans’ first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans but won thanks to 21 first-place nods.
It’s the second time in Stefanski's short coaching career that he has won Coach of the Year, and given the turbulence this season, it’s just. On top of the constant shifting at quarterback, the Browns lost Nick Chubb to an early season-ending injury and endured a litany of injuries across the board. The Browns' defense was one of the best in the NFL, and once Joe Flacco took over at quarterback, the offense held up its end of the bargain, too.
Comeback Player of the Year: QB Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
Flacco arrived off the street in late November and helped lead the Browns to a 4-1 record down the stretch. He was a big reason the team secured its third playoff appearance since 1999. At 39 years old, Flacco is also tied for the oldest player to ever win the award, thanks to his impressive five-game stretch.
The veteran completed 60.3% of his passes for 1,616 passing yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 323.2 passing yards per game while earning a 74.2 grade over five games — including a 91.5 grade in a Week 16 win over the Houston Texans. Flacco beat out the likes of Damar Hamlin and Baker Mayfield to win the award and became the first-ever Cleveland Brown to claim the honor.
Assistant Coach of the Year: Jim Schwartz, Cleveland Browns
The Browns were busy on NFL Honors night. Schwartz joined the Browns last offseason with the hope of revitalizing a defense that had struggled over the past few years. A boost to average would have been impressive enough, but Schwartz helped launch the Browns' defense into elite territory. The unit led the NFL in expected points added per play and was one of the best regular-season defenses in recent history. Maintaining that next year will be difficult, but Schwartz gets the appropriate recognition this season.
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