Each year, I go division by division and nominate who I believe is each team’s candidate for the major NFL awards and then we discuss/declare who the division’s major award winner is for the season…and that player goes onto the divisional Final Four with a chance to go to the Super Bowl/Finals for a chance to be declared my seasonal award winner.
We go division-by-division each day, then to the Final Four for each conference, then the finals to name our winner the day the NFL announces their winners. *And my choices are usually different up and down the line in each category, so enjoy a different take on the NFL awards.
*Coach of the Year (any coach on the staff, not just the head coach)
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NFC WEST: 2025 Season Awards Tournament: Offensive Player of the Year
ARI: WR Michael Wilson, ARI
LAR: WR Puka Nacua, LAR
SF: LT Trent Williams, SF
SEA: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA
Three of the most dominant WRs in the NFL in 2025, all resided in the NFC West. My order of their seasons: (3) JSN, (2) Wilson, and (1) Puka.
Puka is/was amazing. Trent Williams is arguably the best, most team-important OL in the game. This is very close, but I will give the very slight edge to Puka over the strong field of options.
NFC West Winner = WR Puka Nacua, LAR
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NFC WEST: 2025 Season Awards Tournament: Rookie of the Year
ARI: CB Denzel Burke, ARI
LAR: PK Harrison Mevis
SF: CB Upton Stout, SF
SEA: OG Grey Zabel, SEA
Burke had a really quite good/great season...way better than Stout among the cover guy options here.
Mevis may have saved the Rams season as a pickup midway through the campaign. Not sure if he’s technically a rookie or not, but I consider him one.
But the winner has to be Grey Zabel, who is well on his way to becoming one of the top 3-5 offensive lineman in the game...and who arguably should’ve been the #1 overall pick in 2025, or #2 at worst.
NFC West Winner = OG Grey Zabel, SEA
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NFC WEST: 2025 Season Awards Tournament: Defensive Player of the Year
ARI: SAF Budda Baker, ARI
LAR: EDGE Byron Young, LAR
SF: CB Deommodore Lenior, SF
SEA: SAF Coby Bryant, SEA
I’m going with my gut...Coby Bryant had a great season, especially in coverage...one of the best cover ratings of the season by a DB. Byron Young is probably my runner up.
NFC West Winner = SAF Coby Bryant, SEA
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NFC WEST: 2025 Season Awards Tournament: Coach of the Year
ARI: O-C Drew Petzing, ARI
LAR: HC Sean McVay, LAR
SF: HC Kyle Shanahan, SF
SEA: HC Mike Macdonald, SEA
Petzing is the ‘somebody had to win it’ winner for ARI...now O-C of Detroit.
The power three here are all viable/good coaches. Sean McVay is out/the #3 in the race. I thought he was terrible down the stretch of the season with his on-field strategies/game management -- I know refs hurt the Rams in that week 16 Seattle game, but Sean McVay’s strategies and play calls were the real factor on top of the refs. LAR then lost to ATL and then barely beat Arizona in the final game. A terrible finish for McVay.
Shanny v. Macdonald. Could go either way...reasons for either to win. I give it to Shanahan for what he did with a roster that was bombarded with injuries all season. They had #1 seed hopes down the stretch with a lot of 2nd and 3rd and 4th string players playing in the second half of the season.
NFC West Winner = HC Kyle Shanahan, SF
