So the Associated Press just dropped the 2025 NFL All Pro Team list, and honestly, it’s about time someone respected the actual tape over the box score. If you’ve been following the league this year, you know the Pro Bowl has basically turned into a popularity contest where guys get in based on jersey sales and what they did three seasons ago. But the All-Pro? That’s different. It’s the "PhD of football honors," voted on by 50 media members who actually sit through the grueling 17-game grind.
This year’s roster is a wild mix of "finally" moments and "wait, really?" snubs. We saw Matthew Stafford remind everyone he’s still that guy, while a bunch of young stars like Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba officially kicked the door down. If you're wondering who the best players in football truly were this season, this is the only list that matters.
The 2025 NFL All Pro Team First Team Offense
Let’s talk about Matthew Stafford for a second. The Rams quarterback taking the first-team nod over guys like Josh Allen or the rookie sensation Drake Maye is going to spark a thousand bar fights. Stafford finished with 111 total points, edging out Maye by 28. It’s a massive nod to a veteran who orchestrated one of the most efficient offenses in the league without a traditional "super-team" around him.
The wide receiver room is where things get really spicy. You've got Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba as unanimous selections. Think about that. Every single voter looked at those two and said, "Yep, top of the class." Joining them is Ja'Marr Chase, who remains a walking highlight reel for Cincinnati.
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Down in the trenches, it's mostly business as usual but with some serious Denver flavor. The Broncos actually landed Garrett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz on the first team. It’s rare to see a team that isn’t a #1 seed dominate the offensive line selections like that, but if you watched Meinerz pull on run plays this year, you get it. He's a human bulldozer.
- Quarterback: Matthew Stafford (Rams)
- Running Back: Bijan Robinson (Falcons)
- Wide Receivers: Puka Nacua (Rams), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks), Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals)
- Tight End: Trey McBride (Cardinals)
- Left Tackle: Garrett Bolles (Broncos)
- Center: Creed Humphrey (Chiefs)
Bijan Robinson taking the RB1 spot feels like a "passing of the torch" moment. He beat out James Cook and Jonathan Taylor by a significant margin. Meanwhile, Trey McBride almost went unanimous at tight end, pulling 49 out of 50 first-place votes. Sorry, Travis Kelce fans, but the era of McBride is officially here.
A Defensive Roster Built on Pure Violence
If the offense was about finesse and youth, the defensive side of the 2025 NFL All Pro Team is just pure, unadulterated power. Myles Garrett is back again. No surprise there. The guy is a glitch in the matrix. But look at Will Anderson Jr. and Micah Parsons joining him at the edge. Parsons moved to Green Bay and didn't miss a beat, proving he’s the most versatile defensive weapon since LT.
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The interior is where I think the voters really did their homework. Jeffery Simmons is finally getting the "First Team" flowers he’s deserved for years. And Zach Allen? The Broncos' defensive lineman has been a one-man wrecking crew.
The secondary is incredibly young. We’re talking about Derek Stingley Jr. and Quinyon Mitchell—a rookie—locking down the cornerback spots. Mitchell making First Team All-Pro as a rookie in Philadelphia is unheard of. He didn’t just survive; he erased WR1s. And let’s not ignore the "Safety Evolution" with Kyle Hamilton and Kevin Byard. Hamilton is basically a 6-foot-4 linebacker who runs like a cornerback, and the voters recognized he's the prototype for the future of the position.
Why Some Big Names Missed the Cut
You're probably looking for Amon-Ra St. Brown or Christian McCaffrey on the first team. CMC actually grabbed the "All-Purpose" spot on the first team, but he lost out to Bijan for the primary running back role. It’s a weird quirk of the voting system where a guy can be the best "overall" weapon but not the best "pure" back in the eyes of the panel.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is arguably the biggest "snub," though he did make the Second Team. He had the touchdowns and the receptions, but Nacua and JSN had that "unanimous" momentum that’s hard to break. It’s also tough to see Trent Williams fall to the second team, but Garrett Bolles simply played more consistent snaps this time around.
The Special Teams Specialists
Special teams usually gets ignored, but Will Reichard (Vikings) and Jordan Stout (Ravens) were lights out. Reichard as a rookie kicker making first-team All-Pro? That’s cold-blooded. It’s a testament to how much parity there is in the league right now when the best kicker is a kid who was in college twelve months ago.
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Making Sense of the Second Team
The 2025 NFL All Pro Team Second Team is basically a "Who's Who" of players who will probably be First Team next year. Drake Maye leading the way at QB is a huge statement. It's rare for a rookie QB to get All-Pro votes, let alone lead the second team. It tells you exactly what the league thinks of his ceiling in New England.
You’ve also got George Pickens and Chris Olave there. Pickens is a human highlight reel, but he needs that consistency to jump into the Nacua tier. On defense, Aidan Hutchinson and Brian Burns are the "next men up." Honestly, on any other year, Hutchinson is a first-teamer, but the edge rusher talent right now is just stupidly deep.
What This Means for Your Team
If your favorite player made this list, it’s a big deal for their Hall of Fame resume. Pro Bowls are nice for the jersey patches, but All-Pros are what the voters in Canton look at when it's time to hand out gold jackets. For teams like the Broncos or the Rams, having multiple first-teamers validates the way they’ve built their rosters—focusing on elite individual talent even when the win-loss record isn't perfect.
If you’re looking to track how these selections impact the upcoming awards season, keep an eye on the "Protector of the Year" and MVP races. Usually, the First Team All-Pro QB is the frontrunner for MVP, but with Stafford and Maye splitting the vibe this year, things are wide open.
Take a look at the full roster and check the stats against the "All-Purpose" and "Slot Cornerback" designations. Those are relatively new categories that the AP added to reflect how the game is actually played today. It’s not just "three linebackers" anymore; it’s about who can actually cover a slot receiver in the red zone. That’s why Cooper DeJean getting the nod at slot corner is so significant—it’s a specialist role for a specialized league.
To stay ahead of the next wave of talent, watch the guys on the second team who had high "first-place vote" counts. Those are the players most likely to leapfrog into the top tier by this time next year. You can also dive into the specific voting point totals to see just how close the races were for positions like Left Tackle and Safety, where only a few points separated the first and second teams.