On Thursday, the NFL announced the finalists for their 2025 NFL Honors, and Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is in the running for two end-of-season awards: Defensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.
The four finalists for Defensive Player of the Year, joining Hutchinson, are Will Anderson Jr. (Texans), Nik Bonitto (Broncos), Myles Garrett (Browns), and Micah Parsons (Packers). From a statistical perspective, these five players represent four of the top six pressure creators in the NFL in 2025, with Hutchinson leading the way with 89 pressures.
However, this category tends to heavily lean toward sack producers, and this could be where Garrett overtakes Hutchinson for the award. While Hutchinson registered a career-high 14.5 sacks that landed him fourth in the NFL and second amongst the finalists, Garrett set an NFL record with 23, a number that will be hard for voters to overlook.
The four finalists joining Hutchinson for the Comeback Player of the Year award include wide receiver Stefon Diggs (Patriots), quarterback Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), running back Christian McCaffrey (49ers), and Dak Prescott (Cowboys).
Hutchinson is up for the award, as he was coming off a broken leg in 2024, and not only did he put up tremendous defensive stats in 2025, but he also registered 100+ defensive snaps (950) more than any other defensive lineman in the NFL this past season (save Max Crosby, who had 886). An impressive showing of stability after a gruesome end to his 2024 season.
As for the other finalists, it’ll be interesting to see who can challenge Hutchinson. Diggs was coming off an ACL and registered 85 receptions (12th most in the NFL) for 1013 receiving yards (16th). Lawrence’s 2024 season ended due to multiple concussions, and he rebounded in 2025 by throwing over 4000 yards (6th) and 29 touchdowns (5th). McCaffrey dealt with multiple injuries in 2024 (only played in four games), but in 2025, he ran for 1202 yards (8th), scored 10 rushing touchdowns (9th), and led all running backs with 102 receptions for 924 receiving yards. Prescott saw a hamstring end his 2024 season prematurely, and he finished 2025 with 4552 passing yards (3rd), 30 touchdowns (4th), and led the NFL with 404 completions.
The 2025 NFL awards show will air on NFL Network on February 5, 2026.
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