NEW YORK ââ Jan. 13, 2026 ââ The National Football League today announced the six finalists for the 2025 PepsiÂź Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year award.
2025 Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year Finalists
| PLAYER | POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| Jaxson Dart | Quarterback | New York Giants |
| TreVeyon Henderson | Running Back | New England Patriots |
| Ashton Jeanty | Running Back | Las Vegas Raiders |
| Tetairoa McMillan | Wide Receiver | Carolina Panthers |
| Carson Schwesinger | Linebacker | Cleveland Browns |
| Tyler Shough | Quarterback | New Orleans Saints |
The winner will be selected by a fan vote through nfl.com/rookies and through the end of the voting period on Friday, Jan. 30, fans will be able to learn more about the Rookie of the Year finalists on NFL and PEPSI social media channels.
The best-tasting zero-sugar cola continues to celebrate the league's rising stars. The 2025 PepsiÂź Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year award winner will be recognized during Super Bowl Week in the Bay Area and presented with a custom, Pepsi Zero Sugar-themed trophy.
The six finalists were selected for their outstanding performances this season. Each week, six nominees were chosen for the Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Week and fans voted for the winner on NFL.com. Those results were used to help determine the finalists.
A closer look at the finalists:
- New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart led all rookie quarterbacks in rushing yards (487), rushing touchdowns (nine) and passer rating (91.7), tied for the most passing touchdowns (15) and had the third-most passing yards (2,272) this season. Dart surpassed Josh Allen (eight rushing touchdowns in 2017) for the second-most rushing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era, trailing only Cam Newton (14 rushing touchdowns in 2011). He also became the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to record a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games.
- New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson had the most rushing yards per attempt (5.1), tied for the most rushing touchdowns (nine) and had the second-most scrimmage yards (1,132) among rookies this season. Henderson joined Saquon Barkley and Pro Football Hall of Famer Lenny Moore as the only rookies in NFL history with four rushing touchdowns of 50-or-more yards.
- Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty led all rookies in scrimmage yards and broke the franchise record for most scrimmage yards by a rookie (1,321) and had the second-most rushing yards per game (57.4) this season. Jeanty became the third rookie all-time with at least 50 receptions (55), five rushing touchdowns (five) and five receiving touchdowns (five), joining Alvin Kamara and Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Taylor.
- Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan led all rookies this season in receiving yards (1,014), receiving yards per game (59.6) and touchdown receptions (seven) and ranked third in receptions (70). McMillan broke the Panthers franchise record for most receiving yards by a rookie.
- Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger led all rookies this season in tackles (146) and tackles for loss (11). Schwesinger, who had at least 10 tackles in each game from Weeks 11-16, tied Luke Kuechly (six consecutive games in 2012 with Carolina) for the longest such streak by a rookie since 2000. He is one of five linebackers in NFL history to record at least 145 tackles and 10 tackles for loss in their rookie season since 2000.
- New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough recorded the highest completion percentage among all rookies (67.6, 221 of 337), had the second-most passing yards (2,384) and second-highest passer rating (91.3) among rookies this season. Shough broke the Saints franchise record for most passing yards, passing touchdowns (10) and completion percentage by a rookie. In Week 17, Shough became the second rookie ever with a completion percentage of 80-or-higher (81.5), at least 300 passing yards and a passer rating of 140-or-higher (142.7) in a single game, joining Bo Nix (Nov. 17, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2025, with Denver).
This is the 25th year with Pepsi as the Official Soft Drink of the NFL and the 24th year that Pepsi will present the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year award.
