Panthers’ Tetairoa McMillan named AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was named the 2025 Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year on Thursday in San Francisco.
McMillan, 22, received the award at the annual NFL Honors ceremony during Super Bowl week. The wide receiver beat out Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Emeka Egbuka, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson for the honor.
He is the first Panthers rookie to win the award since quarterback Cam Newton won it following the 2011 season.
“I hope everybody is having a good night tonight — super blessed and humbled to receive this award,” McMillan said in his acceptance speech. “Shoot, to me, the humbling thing is that I know that I could have never done this by myself.
“First off, I want to thank my mom for always being there for me. She’s the real soldier. I want to thank my family for just teaching me the importance of humility and respect and for always just supporting me. I want to thank Mr. (David) Tepper, Mrs. (Nicole) Tepper, (Panthers GM) Dan Morgan, Coach (Dave) Canales, Coach (Rob) Moore, my teammates, and just the whole Panthers organization for believing in me.
“Shoot, man, God has just been so amazing to me. He has blessed me with amazing opportunities. He has surrounded me with such incredible people — who have invested in me and have impacted my life. Oh, man, God is just so amazing. Without him, none of this would be possible. I’m just so grateful, so blessed, and I hope that I can inspire future generations to chase their dreams. Thank you, God bless.”
McMillan, the eighth overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft, caught 70 passes for 1,014 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 17 games. His receiving yards mark set a new franchise record for the Panthers, topping Kelvin Benjamin’s 1,008 yards in 2014. McMillan’s total also topped all rookies in receiving yards this past season.
McMillan, who was born in Waimānalo, Hawaii, claimed the annual award just hours after issuing an apology on Instagram for using a racial slur on a gaming livestream earlier in the week.
Recapping Tetairoa McMillan’s big rookie season in Carolina
McMillan accounted for 30.6% of the Panthers’ total receiving yards in 2025. He also produced 29.1% of the touchdowns in the passing game.
“Our focal point is ‘TMac,’” head coach Dave Canales said in December. “We try to build formations and get him into spots to get him the ball.”
McMillan had two games with multiple touchdowns during his rookie season. The Panthers won both games. He was named NFL Rookie of the Week after snagging three passes for 29 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-27 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.
The playmaker, who played college ball at Arizona, caught seven passes on fourth down during the season, gaining a fresh set of downs on six of the completions.
“I think we definitely envisioned what we got from (McMillan),” general manager Dan Morgan said last month following the team’s playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. “Otherwise, I don’t think we would’ve drafted him at No. 8. He’s done a great job. Just another guy that comes in, he works, attention to detail, and it shows on the field on Sundays.”
Last month, McMillan was named the Pro Football Writers of America’s NFL Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He joins Newton, linebacker Luke Kuechly (2012) and Hall of Fame defensive end Julius Peppers (2002) as the only members of the Panthers’ franchise to win an AP rookie of the year award. Kuechly and Peppers won AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year awards following their respective first seasons in Carolina.
This developing story will be updated.
This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 9:19 PM.
