The Associated Press announced their finalists for the NFL’s major 2025 awards this week and, as expected, the Cleveland Browns were well represented on defense.
Myles Garrett, after setting the NFL’s single-season sack record in Week 18, is arguably the biggest slam-dunk candidate for Defensive Player of the Year in the award’s 54-year history.
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger, meanwhile, feels like the shoo-in pick for Defensive Rookie of the Year after piling up 156 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions — numbers even more incredible when you consider he played hurt late in the season and sat out Cleveland’s season finale.
While it’s nice to see the Browns get some love after another rough year — a disaster that’s continued into 2026 thanks to the team’s head-scratching head coach search — the whole system around the annual NFL Honors has become a major punch-line.
Garrett not even being named a finalist for league MVP is the latest glaring example.
The NFL’s MVP process just made a mockery of Myles Garrett’s historic season
People actually care about these awards. The MVP debate between Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford has been going on for weeks, with fans of the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams sleuthing every stat available to suit their QB’s argument.
The biggest problem with the MVP award is painfully obvious: It’s become all about the QBs, to the point where one of the greatest defensive seasons in NFL history isn’t even worth a top-five finish.
The NFL’s finalists for MVP are quarterbacks Stafford, Maye, Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence, and running back Christian McCaffrey. The common denominator between those players is that their teams all won 12-plus games and qualified for the NFL playoffs. Only Stafford and Maye remain entering this weekend's conference title games, and as the AP’s respective picks for All-Pro this year, the MVP will deservedly go to one of those two QBs.
Garrett’s not getting a sniff for the award, largely because of Cleveland’s 5-12 finish. Had he single-handedly spearheaded the Browns to double-digit wins and an AFC North title this season, he’d likely be getting the McCaffrey treatment this week, as an MVP honorable mention.
Let me just explain to you how dumb the NFL MVP award is:
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) January 22, 2026
Myles Garrett had the greatest defensive season of ALL TIME
… and he is NOT one of the 5 finalists for MVP this season
How can you have an all-time season and not even be a finalist?
Because the voting is dumb, the… pic.twitter.com/EW97BSSt7m
It does make sense. Can the most valuable player in football be on a team with just eight wins over the last two seasons? The Associated Press’ panel of 50 sports journalists who determine all of these awards (including All-Pro) isn’t alone in saying no. ESPN just named Garrett the 10th most valuable player in the NFL, with Maye No. 1.
But the MVP award has become a mockery. When Stafford or Maye is announced as the winner next week during the NFL Honors ceremony, a quarterback will win it for the 13th consecutive year. That’s not to mention that Stafford — the clear frontrunner as the AP’s pick for first-team All-Pro — is not among the five finalists for Offensive Player of the Year; that group is Maye, McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, Bijan Robinson, and Jaxson Smith-Njigba.
How can the league’s first-team All-Pro quarterback not be up for Offensive Player of the Year? Is the panel showing their hand by splitting the difference, removing their MVP pick (Stafford), and clearing the deck for Maye to get the OPY consolation prize?
It’s all become laughable at this point, and the NFL will have to explore changes to the current system to bring back any semblance of credibility. Again, these awards matter, and with all due respect to McCaffrey and Lawrence — those two being MVP finalists over Garrett this year is a joke.