The season stretched from the shores of Maui to the clubhouses of Camden Yards and the urban center of London.
12 regular season wins, two road playoff victories for only the third time in franchise history, and a trip to the NFC Championship game.
The Los Angeles Rams produced the top-scoring offense in the league, MVP and Offensive Player of the Year candidates, first-team All-Pro honors for both Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua, career years across the roster, more milestones for Sean McVay, the expansion of his coaching tree, and high-water marks for home attendance as the Rams went 7-1 at SoFi Stadium.
As for our team-specific honors, they're a reflection of vision cast and ambition realized. Coming home from Philadelphia last January, the Rams knew they were close to greatness and attacked the offseason. This offseason should be more of the same, but before they construct the 2026 roster, let's recognize some of the leading contributors from another of the greatest seasons in franchise history.
Free Agent Signing – Davante Adams
The story of the 2025 season began with the return of Stafford, followed shortly thereafter by the retention of left tackle Alaric Jackson. With those two pieces in place, the recruitment of a future Hall of Famer began in earnest (and from abroad).
The Rams knew they needed to unlock the red zone. And with an elite short-field weapon like Adams, LA went from generating touchdowns on 51% of red zone trips in 2024 to 65% of those chances in 2025.
For the third time in his career, Adams led the NFL in touchdown receptions – and did so by a comfortable margin, despite missing the final three games with a hamstring injury. His 14 scores tied for second-most in his career, 12 came in the red zone, and 11 from the 10-yard-line or below.
Adams bolstered his Canton resume by ascending to seventh all-time in touchdown receptions, now four shy of Larry Fitzgerald in the NFL record books. He also became the 18th player to reach 1,000 career yards receiving in the postseason and registered his ninth playoff touchdown, cracking the NFL's all-time Top 10.
Ironman – Coleman Shelton
Another important offseason acquisition flew under the radar but paid major dividends.
Offensive line continuity drives success under McVay, and this year, center Coleman Shelton epitomized it. Every snap of Stafford's All-Pro season came from Shelton, back for his second stint in Los Angeles. Stafford's 3.71 percent sack rate was the lowest of his Rams' tenure and second-best of his NFL career. Shelton's performance – physical and mental, pre-and-post-snap – played a central role. He was charged with only two sacks and four pressures allowed by Pro Football Focus, grading out at the highest level of his career, both in overall and run blocking measures.
Reserve of the Year – Warren McClendon Jr.
While we're along the offensive line, our Reserve of the Year stepped in for a captain at right tackle and thrived.
Warren McClendon had pinch-hit, both in 2024 and early in this 2025 schedule, and held his own. Once he resumed the starting role in Week 12, it was clear he would not be relinquishing it.
With Rob Havenstein on the shelf, McClendon took over for the final 10 contests and looked the part of an NFL right tackle. While his performance may have dipped in the postseason, McClendon's third pro season was worthy of the highest PFF grade on the Rams offensive line, and he finished the regular season as a Top 10 offensive tackle in their system.
Let's also use this opportunity to once again celebrate all that Havenstein contributed to the organization throughout his 11-year career.
Position Group - Tight End
LA's offensive line absolutely was deserving of this award.
However, because of the total pivot to 13 personnel, the collective improvements and contributions of this unit, and the outsized role they played in the NFL's best offense, I opted to recognize the tight end room.
It was a fair critique that the Rams had the least productive group in the NFL in 2024 – collectively, they produced 51 catches, 459 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. Fast forward one year and those tight end totals jump to 103 receptions, 1,128 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns.
Much of it was driven by enhanced opportunity. Nonetheless, credit to first-year tight ends coach Scott Huff for maximizing his array of personnel.
Colby Parkinson led the way with a career year. His nine scores set a franchise record for touchdowns by a tight end. Plus, he added a dramatic game-winner in Charlotte in the Wild Card round.
Tyler Higbee persevered through injury once again to play 10 games and secure his place as the most accomplished tight end in Rams history.
Davis Allen also had the best season of his three-year career, while playing inline, in the backfield, in the slot, and out wide. His pass protection was particularly noteworthy.
As for the rookie? He gave us a glimpse of the future at the position.
Offensive Rookie of the Year – Terrance Ferguson
With running back Jarquez Hunter effectively redshirting, this was a two-man race between the first pick in the Rams class (drafted 46th overall) and the last (242nd).
Konata Mumpfield had some nice moments, but Terrance Ferguson was the clear choice here.
After playing only eight offensive snaps through the first five weeks, the former Oregon Duck became a steady part of the rotation as the 13-personnel identity came to life. Ferguson announced his arrival in London, scoring a 31-yard touchdown. By December, he'd reached another gear, with impressive performances in Seattle and Atlanta, before a hamstring injury suffered in practice derailed his closing kick.
Ferguson will be forever linked with whomever the Rams select 13th overall this spring (or whatever they opt to do with that pick), but as a standalone second-round selection, he showed flashes of being a weapon in the passing game that the offense can deploy for many years to come.
Defensive Rookie of the Year – Josaiah Stewart
Of the 27 edge defenders selected in the Class of 2025, these are Josaiah Stewart's rankings relative to his peers.
Pick order: 15th
Snap count: 9th
Sacks: 6th
PFF Defensive Grade: 3rd
PFF Run Defense Grade: 2nd
PFF Pass Rush Grade: 2nd
Like Ferguson, he'll turn 23 this offseason and appears to have only scratched the surface, having comfortably outplayed his draft slot.
Most Improved Player - Byron Young
Stewart was contending with a couple of Pro Bowlers for snaps at his position, including the most productive edge rusher for the Rams, Byron Young.
He made a resounding opening statement, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Month in September and registering at least a half-sack in the first seven games of the season. Though that breakneck pace was unsustainable, Young finished with 64 pressures, 12 tackles for loss, and a top 10 grade among all edge defenders, playing the run nearly as well as he got to opposing quarterbacks.
He is the first Ram to record at least 12 sacks since Aaron Donald in 2021. Young and AD99 are the only Rams with at least 7.5 sacks each of their first three seasons. And here's one more link to the GOAT: Only Robert Quinn (34.5) and Donald (28.0) have more sacks in their first three seasons as Rams than Young (27.5).
Comeback Player of the Year – Blake Corum
There was a stretch in December in which Kyren Williams and Blake Corum became the first teammates in modern NFL history to each have at least 70 rushing yards and a rushing score in three straight games.
The way they complemented and elevated each other in 2025 was the ideal version of a running back tandem that had eluded the Rams offense for so long. With the stated goal of getting more explosive runs in 2025, Corum achieved at an elite level (11.7 percent of his carries, second only to Devon Achane among qualifiers, per SumerSports).
For Williams, his steady production followed a well-deserved contract extension. For Corum, his 782 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns marked his return from a broken arm that kept him out of the playoffs as a rookie. Collectively, they delivered the sport's most efficient running game.
Moment of the Year - Kam Curl INT in Chicago
As with any successful season, there were more signature moments than we could ever capture in this year-end celebration.
The first of many Nate Landman punch-outs in the opener against Houston comes to mind. How about Tutu Atwell's game winner over Indianapolis? The Adams hat trick in the UK. Stafford fileting the 49ers in Santa Clara. Cobie Durant's pick-six versus the Buccaneers. Parkinson's go-ahead touchdown in Charlotte.
No exaggeration, Puka Nacua single-handedly generated a nomination per week, with jaw-dropping catches against the Panthers and Cardinals, not to mention several others that didn't count (see: Atlanta).
Ultimately, we landed on Kam Curl's overtime interception in Chicago as our Moment of the Year, because it checked all the boxes: improbable, indelible, and consequential. We'll remember the wind chill and the snow, and the heroics of Caleb Williams, and especially the takeaways in the Rams secondary that allowed them to overcome it all.
At the tail end of season in which he set a Rams record for most tackles by a safety, Curl's ball skills kept the playoff push alive.
Special Teams Player of the Year – Harrison Mevis
Curl also teed up the heroics of Harrison Mevis.
And for a season scarred by special teams miscues, a sub-zero walk-off win courtesy of the Thiccer Kicker was cold-blooded.
With a nod to veteran long-snapper Jake McQuaide, who came off the couch to settle down the entire kicking operation, Mevis completely flipped the Rams' fortunes.
Undrafted, released at the end of summer camps with the Panthers and Jets, Mevis made the most of his UFL stint in Birmingham and then did not miss his chance with the Rams.
Diving in midseason to make his NFL debut in November in Santa Clara, Mevis nailed nine extra points to break in as a pro. Then, he proceeded to convert 18-of-19 field goal tries with a long of 52 yards and all 48 of his point-after attempts by season's end.
As an exclusive rights free agent, it's hard to imagine Mevis won't be the incumbent when the Rams open their offseason program this spring, as he's given them every confidence he can be a long-term answer to their kicking search.
Defensive Player of the Year– Poona Ford
This may have been the most difficult choice.
On a defense that had two Pro Bowlers – Young and Jared Verse – as well as difference-making captains who enjoyed career years – Quentin Lake and Landman – I kept coming back to Poona Ford as the bedrock of a defense that looked elite at its peak and found its level as much-improved.
Lake, in particular, because of the results with and without him, had a very compelling case. His missed time disqualified him but simultaneously underscored his value.
Ultimately, I went with Ford for a few reasons.
First, the stated goal of the offseason on defense was to fortify the run defense. And largely because of Ford's addition, the Rams jumped from 21st to fifth in that category (as measured by DVOA).
Secondly, Ford outperformed his own lofty standards. He earned the highest PFF grade since his rookie season of 2018, not only delivering his characteristic toughness against the run, but also straightening up and rushing the pass rusher better than any prior campaign. With 34 total pressures and three sacks, Ford was a free agent force.
Lastly, his durability in the crucible of the trenches was invaluable. The 30-year-old played in every game, including the postseason. If you were looking for an unheralded secret to the Rams success, I'd point to the men closest to the ball on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Just like Shelton, Ford was an ironman for Los Angeles in his first year in Horns.
Offensive Player of the Year – Puka Nacua
As with the NFL Honors, I believe Offensive Player of the Year has become a non-quarterback award because MVP has become exclusive to quarterbacks. Until that changes, I'm going with it.
Therefore, even though you all know where we're going next, it's time to give Nacua his flowers, and I'll use many of the same talking points that should have put him over the top of Jaxon Smith-Njigba (and Christian McCaffrey) in the league-wide race.
If all we were allowed to consider was the passing game – who had the best receiving season? – I would have voted for Nacua.
In 2025, he earned the highest single-game and season-long offensive grade PFF has ever given a receiver. In terms of EPA, he was generationally great. Volume and efficiency were both off the charts. The ratio of contested catches to drops was immaculate. He saved his best for last, including a career night in prime time against the best defense in football in Seattle. Man, zone, full route tree, red zone, unlocking the end zone, he did it all this year.
And even though that's plenty, Puka also has a pair of aces in the hole.
There may not be a better blocker in the sport at his position. And even if there were, certainly none of them are as integral to their offense as Nacua is to his. So much of the Rams' playbook is built around his viability as a blocker.
Even after the scheme is deployed, Nacua continues to thrive without the ball in his hands. Think back to that night in Chicago, when he snow-plowed pathways for Colby Parkinson and others.
His second leg-up on the competition are his contributions to the running game when he's actually got the rock. His first score of 2025 was a career-best 45-yard house call in Nashville. Including playoffs, he rushed for more than eight yards per carry, two touchdowns, and seven first downs.
Nacua's third year as a pro goes down as a top-five receiving season in franchise history, in an echelon where only Cooper Kupp, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt reside.
Most Valuable Player – Matthew Stafford
Last February, and again in August, there was real doubt that Stafford was even going to be the Rams' quarterback when they opened the 2025 season.
Though it didn't end with a ring, it proved to be the finest campaign of his 17-year career.
He was the animating force of a historically efficient offense that led the league in scoring. Seemingly a month didn't go by in which he didn't make team or NFL history, with his characteristic swagger and bravado that led to scores of don't-try-this-at-home throws.
Early on, Stafford was standing on the accelerator, relentlessly spamming Nacua and Adams with targets. Then on one week's notice, he and the Rams changed gears. They shape-shifted and embraced a new tight-end-driven identity the extremes of which the league had never seen.
Among the highpoints I call back to: His 28 straight touchdowns without an interception, breaking Tom Brady's NFL record; his 12 straight multi-touchdown performances, the sixth-longest streak in league history; authoring the fourth instance of at least 45 touchdown tosses and no more than eight interceptions in a season.
Like Nacua, against the stoutest defense in the league, Stafford was at his very best. He backed up a Week 16 game in Seattle (457 passing yards and three touchdowns) with a playoff game for the ages at Lumen Field (374 passing yards and three scores), committing no turnovers in either.
Now we rest in another February where the future may be uncertain, but the optimism is unbridled. Because the McVay-Stafford partnership extends to a sixth lap, and they return the MVP to the league's top-scoring offense, with more draft capital and salary cap than ever before.
