Tetairoa McMillan Wins 2025-26 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award Over Tyler Shough, Jaxson Dart

Carolina Panthers wideout Tetairoa McMillan was named the 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, beating out New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Emeka Egbuka.

McMillan, 22, was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 draft and quickly became Bryce Young's preferred target, catching 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. He was the only rookie to exceed 1,000 receiving yards this season after four players (Brock Bowers, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr. and Ladd McConkey) did so in 2024.

He also helped lead Carolina to the playoffs for the first time 2017 season, which meant more to him than the possibility of any offseason awards.

"Shoot, I mean, obviously it's a blessing," he told reporters in early January about being in the running for awards like Rookie of the Year. "But out of all things that we were able to make the playoffs, we got a chance at doing something great in Charlotte that hasn't been done in a long time. So, I feel like, you know, that, that holds a higher power than me being the leading favorite for the offensive rookie year."

Henderson, 23, was a second-round pick and wasn't utilized heavily for the first seven games of the season (much to the chagrin of fantasy-football enthusiasts everywhere). But he came on strong from there, finishing with 911 rushing yards, 35 catches for 211 yards and 10 total touchdowns.

His big-play explosiveness gave the Patriots a new dimension offensively, helping the team finish 14-3 and return to the postseason in the first year under Mike Vrabel.

TreyVeon Henderson 69-Yard TD 🧊

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"The biggest thing is I want to try my best to help this team continue to win games," Henderson told reporters in early January. "I try my best not to focus on myself but to focus on the team. I feel like when you do that, eventually everything will come your way. You keep putting in the work, keep focusing on trying to help this team win games, eventually the stats will show up."

Dart, 22, took over as the team's starting quarterback in Week 4 and immediately provided a spark, throwing for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions in 12 appearances (11 starts) while rushing for 487 yards and nine scores.

Jaxson Dart's Improv TD Pass 🪄

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While his aggressive running style led to injury concerns across the season, it also made New York's offense more dynamic, and the Giants may have finished better than 4-13 had key playmakers like wideout Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo not suffered season-ending injuries.

Dart credited Russell Wilson with being an excellent mentor, even after the veteran had lost the starting job.

"From his perspective, losing the starting job was a hard thing to do, but, he was the first person to reach out to me after I talked to the coaches about it, just telling me he's got my back," Dart told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "Saying he's here for me and whatever I need. That just spoke volumes to the kind of character that he has and the kind of man he is."

It also spoke to the fact that the Giants are now Dart's team, and the future appears to be bright in that regard.

Shough, 26, threw for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 appearances, completing 67.6 percent of his passes. He was 5-4 as the starter and provided a clear spark upon taking over first-team duties.

It appears the Saints have found their answer at quarterback.

Egbuka, 23, started like a man on fire and was one of fantasy football's best receivers to start the season. He eventually cooled off but still finished with 63 catches for 938 yards and six touchdowns. The Bucs landed themselves quite the weapon for the future.