(Photo: UNIANIMO Deportes)
1. Most Valuable Player– Josh Allen: As the season was approaching, the “experts” had the Buffalo Bills finishing in third place win the AFC East. They traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and Gabe Davis left to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Those were the Bills’ top two receivers in 2023. I picked the Bills to win the AFC East once again because of the Quarterback and this year was the best I’ve seen him look. Without his top two receivers from a year ago, Josh was the catalyst of a Buffalo offense that was one of the best in the league. He didn’t have a true number one receiver, but elevated the surrounding guys. His top target this year was Khalil Shakir and on any other team in the NFL, he’d be a third option on the depth chart. The biggest improvement for Josh was the turnovers as a year ago, he led the league in turning the ball over. He had two MVP moments in my eyes with the first being the win over the Chiefs in November to hand them their first loss, and he beat the Lions on the road in December. Two quality wins over the top seeds in their conference. Nobody meant more to their team this year than Josh Allen, and he will win his first MVP tonight.
2. Offensive Rookie of the Year– Jayden Daniels: What more needs to be said? He came in as a rookie and wowed everyone watching him. Jayden made the Washington Commanders worth watching and each week I saw him play, I saw a confident kid who always looked to put the team in the best position to win football games. The Commanders won four games in 2023 and in 2024, they went 12-5, made the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season and won their first playoff game since 2005. Jayden had a lot to do with that. Washington also upset the top seeded Detroit Lions and advanced to the NFC Championship game where they fell short to the Philadelphia Eagles. In his first season, Jayden accounted for 31 touchdowns (25 passing and six throwing). He also set the record for rushing yards and pass completion rate by a rookie Quarterback. What a year.
3. Defensive Rookie of the Year– Jared Verse: The Los Angeles Rams defense was expected to take a dip in production after the retirement of Aaron Donald. There’s never going to be replacing a future Hall of Fame Defensive Tackle such as that. I was high on Jared Verse during his days with the Florida State Seminoles and projected him to be a top ten pick in the draft last Spring. Though he and Aaron played different positions on the defensive line, Jared filled the void left by number 99 by generating the natural pressure the Rams’ defense has relied upon for years. Jared’s 76 pressures ranked fourth in the league, and he was also an impact player in the turnover battle. This is a young Rams defense and Jared is the anchor of everything. He’s only going to get better as the years come along.
4. Offensive Player of the Year– Saquon Barkley: Ja’Marr Chase was my favorite throughout the year until I saw the guy in Philadelphia do what he did for the Eagles. Saquon Barkley left the New York Giants, signed with the rival Philadelphia Eagles and the rest is history. I knew he’d be in a much better situation coming into this year than he was at anytime in East Rutherford, but I didn’t see him having the year he had this season. This was the best I’ve ever seen Saquon look, and he was everything to this Eagles offense. He finished the year with 345 carries which is a career-high and became the ninth member to join the 2,000 yard rushing club. He made the most of every single carry and would’ve broken Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record if he didn’t sit out in week 18. Running the football still matters these days.
5. Defensive Player of the Year– Patrick Surtain II: I still remember when his father played. Now, let’s talk about the son. The Denver Broncos defense was amongst one of the best this year and Patrick was a primary reason why. His dependability speaks volumes first and foremost as he’s always available for his team and he also let his play do the talking this year. He deflected 11 passes and finished the year with five total turnovers (four interceptions and one forced fumble). Patrick will become the first Cornerback to win this award for the first time since Stephon Gilmore did with the New England Patriots in 2019.
6. Coach of the Year– Kevin O’Connell: This was the one year when I felt my answer was changing throughout the season. At one time, I was saying Mike Tomlin and even threw Sean McVay into consideration. My pick is Kevin O’Connell and as always, I’ll explain. After the Vikings decided to move on from Kirk Cousins, and they drafted J.J. McCarthy, nobody knew what to expect from this football team and the questions started to arise after McCarthy was injured and done for the year. Sam Darnold comes in and keeps the Vikings afloat as he led them to their most wins since 1998. Even with the variables stacked against him, Kevin found a way to produce and win with a top-five scoring offense and a defense that was ranked in the top five and was one of the best in the league at forcing the turnovers. I look at especially what Kevin was able to do with Sam Darnold who has been known to struggle throughout his career, but in Minnesota, he put together the best season of his career.
7. Comeback Player of the Year– Joe Burrow: If the Cincinnati Bengals had a better record and made the postseason, Joe Burrow is the front-runner for the MVP this year, and it wouldn’t be close in my eyes. He almost won the Quarterback Triple Crown as he led the league in passing yards, touchdown passes, but fell short of the completion percentage lead. Let’s look at everything Joe dealt with last season. Early on, he was battling through a calf injury and on a Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, he tore a ligament in his wrist which unfortunately ended his season. He played with a resurgence in 2024 and only if he had a defense to lean upon and his football team would’ve been in a much better position. Joe had the Bengals knocking on the door of the playoffs after starting 4-8.
