NEW ORLEANS — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player at the 2025 NFL Honors ceremony at the Saenger Theatre in front of a packed house of NFL stars, alumni and celebrities Thursday night.
Allen edged Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for MVP in a tight vote. The Buffalo QB received 27 first-place votes, and the Baltimore QB got the other 23.
The Coach of the Year was the Minnesota Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was selected the Offensive Player of the Year and Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II was chosen the Defensive Player of the Year.
Allen, 28, led the Bills to a 13-4 record and the No. 2 seed in the AFC, throwing 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He also ran for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns on 102 carries.
Jackson, 28, threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns with four interceptions, and he rushed for 915 yards and four scores. He was the MVP in 2019 and 2023.
“I admire you guys,” Allen said, acknowledging Jackson and the other finalists. “I know this is an individual award, but I think it’s derived from team success.
“I’m so fortunate to be part of a great organization.”
Allen was previously the MVP runner-up in 2020, a three-time Pro-Bowler (2020, 2022, 2024) and the 2020 PFWA Most Improved Player.
Over seven seasons in Buffalo, Allen has thrown for over 26,000 yards with 195 touchdowns and added another 4,142 yards and 65 touchdowns rushing.
The seventh overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, Allen has led the Bills to the playoffs six straight seasons and to the AFC Championship Game twice, including this past season.
In just his third season as a head coach, O’Connell guided the Vikings to a 14-3 record, tied for the second-best record in the NFC.
Minnesota overachieved according to most observers in 2024, sprinting out to a 5-0 start and following that with a nine-game winning streak to get to 14-2.
O’Connell pushed a lot of the right buttons in 2024, from throwing his weight behind new starter Sam Darnold at quarterback (who had a career season in starting all 17 games) to continuing to find ways to utilize his other offensive weapons in creative ways.
A former quarterback for the New England Patriots (2008), who also bounced among the practice squads of the Detroit Lions and New York Jets among others, O’Connell parlayed his offensive background into an eventual offensive coordinator position with the Los Angeles Rams, where he coordinated a win in Super Bowl LVI.
Barkley was a phenomenon this season, rushing for a career-best (and league-leading) 2,005 regular-season yards. He is on the precipice of setting the record for total rushing yards (regular and postseason), sitting at 2,447 yards after a monstrous playoff run, just 30 yards shy of eclipsing the mark set by Terrell Davis in 1998.
Barkley joined the Eagles in the offseason after a six-year run with the New York Giants, where he totaled 5,211 yards and 35 touchdowns. He has logged nearly half of that production in one season in Philadelphia, spearheading the Eagles’ potent ground game during their push to a 14-3 record and a Super Bowl LIX appearance.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Barkley was named first-team All-Pro for the first time in 2024. He also earned several Rookie of the Year awards in 2018 before being tabbed the PFWA Offensive Player of the Year and winning the Bert Bell Award (top NFL player) in 2024.
Surtain, in his second season as a first-team All-Pro performer, is widely regarded as one of the premier cover cornerbacks in the league at the age of 24.
A four-year pro and three-time Pro Bowler, Surtain also was named the PFWA Defensive Player of the Year.
The only year Surtain wasn’t a Pro Bowler was his rookie year, when he was named to the All-Rookie team while recording four interceptions. He matched that total in 2024, returning one of his four picks for a 100-yard touchdown.
With career totals of 11 interceptions, two forced fumbles and 232 combined tackles, Surtain continues to gain accolades for his outstanding play.
Other awards handed out Thursday night included:
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year: QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
AP Comeback Player of the Year: QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Salute to Service Award: TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year: DE Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year: QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year: DL Arik Armstead, Jacksonville Jaguars
FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Year: WR Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals; QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
–David Gladow, Field Level Media
