SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Myles Garrett was a unanimous choice for the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award after setting a season record for sacks with 23.
Garrett received all 50 first-place votes to become the ninth player to win DPOY multiple times. Cleveland’s edge rusher also was a unanimous All-Pro selection. Garrett previously won the award in 2023.
“It doesn’t just start with me,” he said. “It starts with great teammates, a great organization, great coaches being able to put us in position. I’m thankful for every single one of teammates to help get me up here. It’s not possible without them.”
Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. finished second with 77 points, Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons came in third (63) followed by Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto (52) and Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (42).
Garrett surpassed both Michael Strahan (22.5) and T.J. Watt (22.5) when he sacked Joe Burrow in the final game of the regular season.
The award was one of eight scheduled to be announced at NFL Honors on Thursday night, including The Associated Press 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player award.
Christian McCaffrey, Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford are in the running for MVP.
Maye, who will lead the New England Patriots into the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks, and McCaffrey are also finalists for Offensive Player of the Year. McCaffrey and Lawrence are among the finalists for Comeback Player of the Year.
A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began. Votes were tabulated by the accounting firm Lutz and Carr.
Voters selected a top 5 for the eight AP NFL awards. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.
The other awards being presented Thursday in San Francisco include Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels won the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in the first season of his third stint with the team.
McDaniels received 17 of 50 first-place votes and finished with 249 points. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph placed second with 10 first-place votes and 176 points.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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