Are We Really About To Hand Offensive Rookie Of The Year To An 'Okay' Receiver?

With the 2025 NFL regular season wrapped, betting markets have essentially crowned Carolina Panthers wideout Tetairoa McMillan as the Offensive Rookie of the Year, which is a real bummer when you look back on the rookie class as a whole.

READ: Betting Favorites To Win Every 2025-26 NFL Award After The Regular Season

Here’s the deal …

McMillan delivered a clean campaign, finishing with 1,014 receiving yards and seven touchdowns while serving as the steady weapon of Carolina’s tepid offense.

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Tetairoa McMillan poses after being selected eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

In a rookie class defined more by "okay" than "stellar," Tet’s consistency made him the default darling of voters.

But let’s be honest … if the 2025 class lacks a true alpha, maybe the NFL should just shelf the trophy this year.

This rookie crop produced zero statistical outliers. No quarterback cracked 4,000 yards. No receiver sniffed 1,500.

McMillan’s numbers are largely the product of a Panthers team constantly playing from behind and forced to pepper its only reliable target (looking at you, Xavier Legette).

Tet earned those yards, but compared to Jacksonville’s Brian "Toilet" Jr. and his 2024 breakout of 1,100-plus yards and double-digit touchdowns, McMillan looks less like a superstar and more like a dependable employee. 

Especially with BTJ popping up in the 2025 trade rumor mill. Fans now know how fleeting BTJ’s rookie stats proved to be, so handing McMillan the Best Offensive Rookie award feels painfully ‘prisoner of the moment.’

To be fair, McMillan could still prove doubters wrong in the playoffs. Of course, that would require Carolina beating the Rams in the first round, which feels unlikely. This OutKick writer will eat his shoelaces if it happens.

Quarterbacks still rule.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

If this award is meant to reflect true impact, it should go to the men under center.

In a muted statistical year, the league should reward the signal-callers who survived the meat grinder.

Giants rookie Jaxson Dart led all first-year players with 24 total touchdowns while playing for a franchise doomed from the jump by incompetent coaching and a dysfunctional front office.

Dart didn’t push New York anywhere near an NFC East title, but the difference he made was undeniable. He was good enough to leapfrog Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, which already puts him ahead of McMillan in terms of impact.

Tyler Shough of the New Orleans Saints. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Behind a porous offensive line, Dart showed poise well beyond his years, keeping the Giants competitive on Sundays when they had no business being in the game.

New Orleans’ Tyler "Shuck" Shough also made his case late, flashing real upside.

With nearly 2,400 passing yards in just 11 games, Shough showed enough to convince the Saints they will not be shopping for a quarterback in 2026.

Franchise-potential quarterback versus a strong WR2 … you determine which matters more.

McMillan is a legitimate talent and will likely be a cornerstone in Carolina for years.

Still, handing him the award by default because his yardage total looks respectable ignores the difficulty of the quarterback position.

Volume stats should not outweigh impact. Otherwise, just keep the trophy on a shelf in the league offices until a worthy rook finally emerges.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela