Tetairoa McMillan lived up to the billing as the top wide receiver prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft in his rookie season. Now, the Carolina Panthers‘ standout is getting recognized as such.
McMillan has won Offensive Rookie of the Year, it was announced at the NFL Honors on Thursday. He beat out New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson and New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough for the award.
Shough got five first-place votes and finished second with 168 points, way behind McMillan’s 445. Henderson and Dart each got one first-place vote. Seahawks offensive lineman Grey Zabel got two. Henderson finished third (111), Dart (88) was fourth and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Emeka Egbuka (66) was fifth.
McMillan led all rookies in receiving yards (1,014) and receiving touchdowns (seven). He also ranked in the top 15 in both categories, as he was tied for 14th in receiving yards and tied for 15th in receiving touchdowns. McMillan’s 70 catches were the 34th-most in the league in 2025.
The productive season from the rookie helped the Panthers become one of the NFL’s surprise teams this season and win the NFC South. It also helped quarterback Bryce Young have his best season yet, with the third-year quarterback throwing for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
McMillan also won Tom Brady‘s LFG Offensive Rookie of the Year earlier this week.
“I didn’t cover a lot of Carolina games, but what I saw from him was a dynamic ability to get open, catch the ball down the field, explosive plays and ball possession plays,” Brady said. “He really rose to the occasion. There were some questions coming out of the draft. But I think he showed to everyone what he’s all about with a monster year.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
