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NFL Honors 2026: Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan named Offensive Rookie of the Year

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz02/06/26NickSchultz_7

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He beat out four other finalists for the award.

McMillan, 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 were all up for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The winner was announced at Thursday’s NFL Honors ceremony.

Shough was voted as the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Year, which was via a fan vote. Thursday night’s announcement was based on votes from the AP in partnership with the NFL. McMillan received 445 points, including 41 first-place votes, while Shough was second with 168 points and five first-place votes.

The Panthers selected McMillan with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Arizona, where he put up strong numbers for the Wildcats. The expectation was he would become a top target for Bryce Young, and he did exactly that.

McMillan totaled 70 receptions for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns as Carolina returned to the postseason. The Panthers won the NFC South with an 8-9 overall record before falling to the Los Angeles Rams in a Wild Card Round thriller.

Prior to his arrival at Carolina, McMillan had three impressive seasons at Arizona. As a junior in 2024, he had 84 receptions for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns to become an All-American. That followed a sophomore season in 2024 when he set career-highs with 90 receptions, 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns.

McMillan and Young developed strong chemistry throughout the 2025 season. In fact, they already had a connection from their high school days in California, and they were able to take that to Carolina.

“It’s been a blessing,” McMillan told On3’s Brian Jones in December 2025. “Obviously, just him being from Cali and then us playing against each other growing up and playing against each other in high school. So, just being able to finally be on his side of the ball and being able to build that chemistry with him has been a blessing for sure.”

Young appeared to find his stride at quarterback in 2025, which marked Year 2 in Dave Canales’ system. Having a target like Tetairoa McMillan was a big part of his progress, and the Panthers will look to build on their success heading into 2026.