NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 2025/26 Season: Preview, Prediction & Analysis

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Tyler Smith

An enthusiastic sports writer with a passion for Football, American Sports and Formula 1, bringing sharp insight and informed betting analysis to every weekend.

Published Date: September 3, 2025 11:35 AM

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Award Overview

Award: NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
Season: 2025/26 Season
Previous winner: Jayden Daniels – Washington Commanders

Award Overview

The NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award (OROY) is an annual honor given to the most outstanding first-year offensive player in the National Football League (NFL). Here’s an overview:

Presented by: The Associated Press (AP), though other organizations (like the Pro Football Writers of America) also issue their own versions. The AP award is the most widely recognized and is presented at the NFL Honors ceremony before the Super Bowl.
Eligibility: Any NFL rookie who plays on the offensive side of the ball (e.g., quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, occasionally an offensive lineman, though very rare).
Selection Process: A panel of 50 sportswriters and broadcasters covering the NFL vote at the end of the regular season. The winner is announced just before the Super Bowl.
History: The award was first presented in 1967, alongside the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Significance: Winning OROY often highlights a player as a future star. Many recipients have gone on to have Hall of Fame or Pro Bowl careers (e.g., Earl Campbell, Randy Moss, Adrian Peterson).
Recent Winners: In recent years, quarterbacks and wide receivers have dominated, reflecting the NFL’s offensive trends.

In this article, we look at the past winners of the award, the trends as spoken about above and also give Tipmans prediction to win the award, a dark horse AND an outsider.

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Previous Winners

2014: Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, NY Giants)
2015: Todd Gurley (RB, St. Louis Rams)
2016: Dak Prescott (QB, Dallas Cowboys)
2017: Alvin Kamara (RB, New Orleans Saints)
2018: Saquon Barkley (RB, NY Giants)
2019: Kyler Murray (QB, Arizona Cardinals)
2020: Justin Herbert (QB, LA Chargers)
2021: Ja’Marr Chase (WR, Cincinnati Bengals)
2022: Garrett Wilson (WR, NY Jets)
2023: C.J. Stroud (QB, Houston Texans)
2024: Jayden Daniels (QB, Washington Commanders)

Jayden Daniels took the award home last season, after a historic rookie season. Daniels completed 331 of 480 passes, achieving a 69.0% completion rate—a rookie record for qualified QBs. He passed for 3,568 yards, with 25 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions, ending with a passer rating of 100.1. He shattered the rookie quarterback rushing record with 891 yards and 6 rushing touchdowns—second-most rushing yards among all NFL QBs in 2024. Daniels became the only rookie in NFL history to surpass both 3,500+ passing yards and 750+ rushing yards in the same season. Looking at recent history, it poses the following questions:

Has it become a QB dominant award?

What do you need to win the award? Historical moments or overall team success?

How do you change your teams fortunes?

All considerations we have taken when we look at our Winner, darkhorse and outsider selections.

Tipman's Winner, Darkhorse and outsider selections

Winner – Cameron Ward @ 3/1
Dark Horse – TreVeyon Henderson 12/1
Outsider – Jacorey Croskey-Merritt @ 22/1

Cameron Ward - Tennessee Titans @ 3/1

3/1

As the No. 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward enters the league with distinct advantages that set him apart as a prime candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Analysts at ESPN note he’s the only rookie QB with a clear path to starting the majority of the season—a crucial edge given the quarterback-friendly bias in award voting. Ward brings high-level collegiate production and accolades to Nashville: he wrapped up his career with an NCAA record-tying 158 passing touchdowns, earned ACC Player of the Year, and secured both the Davey O’Brien (nation’s top QB) and Manning Awards. He also boasts a dynamic skill set—arm strength, playmaking under pressure, and improvisational flair—that has drawn comparisons to Patrick Mahomes for his creativity and ability to create in tight windows. With a Titans coaching staff that trusts his leadership and operational command—and given the premium voters place on quarterbacks—Ward has a strong foundation to emerge as the 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

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TreVeyon Henderson - New England Patriots @ 11/1

11/1

TreVeyon Henderson brings rare explosiveness and versatility to the New England Patriots offense. At Ohio State, he totalled 3,761 rushing yards and 42 rushing touchdowns—with a 6.4 yards-per-carry average—and added 853 receiving yards for six more scores. His blazing 4.43-second 40-yard dash and dual-threat capability make him a legitimate home-run threat every time he touches the ball, something Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels loves to leverage

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Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt- Washington Commanders @ 22/1

22/1

Despite entering the league as a seventh-round pick, Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt has quickly earned buzz behind the scenes due to a rare blend of big-play ability, adaptability, and poise under pressure. His breakout season at New Mexico—where he tallied 1,190 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, including back-to-back 200-yard games—showcased his explosiveness and scoring knack. Though eligibility issues limited his 2024 output at Arizona, he responded with a stellar performance at the East–West Shrine Bowl, earning Offensive MVP honors with 97 yards and two touchdowns. In Washington’s training camp and preseason, the rookie has impressed so much that the Commanders have reportedly started exploring moving Brian Robinson Jr., signaling serious trust in Croskey-Merritt's ceiling

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Timeline: When OROY Will Be Announced

The NFL OROY award is not decided at the end of the regular season but revealed as part of the league’s showpiece celebration, NFL Honors. This annual awards ceremony typically takes place on the Thursday before the Super Bowl, giving the finalists maximum spotlight before the biggest game of the year.

For the 2025 season, that means the OROY winner will be announced in late January or early February 2026, just days before Super Bowl LX. The award itself is voted on by a panel of 50 Associated Press (AP) voters, with ballots cast at the conclusion of the regular season and tallied ahead of NFL Honors. Importantly, postseason performances are not considered — meaning a player’s case must be built entirely on the 17-game regular season.

The run-up to the announcement usually follows a familiar rhythm:

Late December – Week 17/18: OROY frontrunners are clear, and sportsbooks react with significant line movement.
Early January: Regular season concludes, ballots are cast immediately afterwards.
Mid-January: Playoff narratives begin, but OROY chatter continues, especially if candidates are still in the postseason.
Super Bowl Week: NFL Honors airs live in primetime, where the OROY and other major awards (Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year) are revealed.

This timeline keeps the OROY race in the headlines for weeks after the regular season, fuelling betting markets and debate right up until the trophy is handed out on stage.

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Where to Watch the NFL in the UK

Sky Sports
Sky Sports remains the premier destination for live NFL coverage in the UK. Their dedicated channel, Sky Sports NFL, broadcasts Thursday Night Football, Sunday evening games (two per week), Sunday Night Football, and Monday Night Football — typically late at night or early morning for UK viewers.

Channel 5
Channel 5 (free-to-air) offers live coverage of Monday Night Football, along with a weekly highlights show.

ITV
ITV screens select London Games and the Super Bowl, plus weekly highlights, accessible across the UK via ITV, STV (Scotland), and UTV (Northern Ireland).

DAZN (NFL Game Pass)
For fans seeking full-season access, DAZN’s NFL Game Pass is the go-to. It offers over 250 regular season games, playoffs, the Super Bowl (live and on-demand), preseason, condensed replays, and RedZone — all available on multiple devices.

U.S. Standard NFL Game Times (Eastern vs. Pacific)

Sunday Afternoon (“Early Window”)
- East/Central games kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT).
Sunday Afternoon (“Late Window”)
- West Coast games start between 4:05 and 4:25 p.m. ET (1:05–1:25 p.m. PT).
Prime Time Games
- Sunday Night Football: ~8:20 p.m. ET
- Monday Night Football: ~8:15 p.m. ET (note possible flex scheduling).

Weekly Schedule Breakdown

Sunday

1:00 p.m. ET: Early afternoon games (East)
4:05–4:25 p.m. ET: Late afternoon games (West)
8:20 p.m. ET: Sunday Night Football

Thursday Night Football

Typically at 8:15 p.m. ET; some games may be flexed later in the season.

Friday NFL Games

Not part of the regular season schedule. However, Friday games do occur in:
- Preseason: Occasionally broadcast on Fridays.
- Late-Season / Week 17–18 Adjustments: Sometimes scheduled due to flex or special circumstances.

Monday Night Football

Scheduled for approximately 8:15 p.m. ET, with flexibility starting Week 12.

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Overseas Games This Season: New Venues, Countries & Fixtures

The 2025 season is the most ambitious yet for the NFL’s international expansion, with seven regular-season games spread across five different countries. Two new nations join the schedule — Ireland and Spain — alongside returning venues in Brazil, the UK, and Germany.

New Host Countries & Venues

Ireland: First-ever NFL regular-season game hosted at Croke Park, Dublin.
Spain: Debut NFL fixture at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid.
Returning hosts include Brazil (Arena Corinthians, São Paulo), the UK (Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur Stadiums), and Germany (Olympiastadion, Berlin).

2025 International Schedule – Fixtures

Week 1 – Friday, September 5: Kansas City Chiefs vs Los Angeles Chargers at Arena Corinthians, São Paulo, Brazil.
Week 4 – Sunday, September 28: Minnesota Vikings vs Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland.
Week 5 – Sunday, October 5: Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK.
Week 6 – Sunday, October 12: Denver Broncos vs New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK.
Week 7 – Sunday, October 19: Los Angeles Rams vs Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium, London, UK.
Week 10 – Sunday, November 9: Atlanta Falcons vs Indianapolis Colts at Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany.
Week 11 – Sunday, November 16: Washington Commanders vs Miami Dolphins at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain.

Why 2025 Stands Out

A record-breaking seven international games, the most in NFL history.
Expansion into new markets with Ireland and Spain both hosting for the first time.
London remains central with three fixtures, while Germany and Brazil continue as key growth territories.
The season opener in Brazil is held on a Friday, a rare scheduling quirk made possible by being outside traditional U.S. Friday football restrictions.

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