Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was voted the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2025 season, capping a debut campaign in which he was the only first-year player to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards.
McMillan beat out New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
He is just the second Panthers player to ever win the award, following Cam Newton in 2011.
As the No. 8 overall pick out of Arizona, McMillan was expected to boost a Carolina passing attack that had struggled to gain any traction with 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young at the helm. While the Panthers still were uneven through the air, finishing 26th with 179.3 yards per game, McMillan did plenty of heavy lifting. His 1,014 receiving yards – a Panthers rookie record – were more than twice as many as any other player on the season, and his sum represented 30.6% of the team’s total.
The 6-5, 212-pounder added a much-needed explosive element to the offense, with 35 of his 70 receptions coming more than 10 yards downfield, according to Next Gen Stats.
Carolina won the NFC South at 8-9, ending an eight-year playoff drought before falling to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.