It is finally over. The 2025-26 NFL regular season wrapped up with enough drama to fill a library, and honestly, looking at the final NFL player stats leaders is kinda like reading a roadmap of how the league changed overnight.
Forget the old "running backs don't matter" trope for a second. This year felt like a weird glitch in the matrix where 37-year-old veterans looked like rookies and literal rookies looked like Hall of Famers. If you just look at the box scores, you’re missing the actual story.
Matthew Stafford and the Fountain of Youth
Let's talk about Matthew Stafford. Most people thought he’d be eyeing a retirement home in Malibu by now. Instead, the guy just went out and led the league in passing yards with 4,707. He didn't just dink and dunk, either. He tossed 46 touchdowns, which is basically unheard of for a guy his age in today's defensive climate.
He had Puka Nacua and Davante Adams catching everything in sight. It’s wild because the Rams basically became a Madden team in real life. Stafford finished with a 109.2 passer rating, trailing only Drake Maye. Think about that. A guy who was drafted when flip phones were cool is keeping pace with a kid who probably doesn't know what a dial-up tone sounds like.
The Drake Maye Era Started Early
New England finally found their guy. Drake Maye wasn't just "good for a rookie." He was elite. He led the NFL with a 113.5 passer rating. That’s not a typo. He threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes.
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The Patriots went 13-4 and won the AFC East for the first time since 2019. Honestly, if you watched him play, the stat that pops most isn't the yards; it’s the 8.9 yards per attempt. He was hunting downfield. He made the New England offense look explosive again, which is something we haven't seen since the TB12 era.
James Cook and the Rushing Resurgence
Buffalo decided to stop making Josh Allen do everything. James Cook turned into a workhorse, leading the league with 1,621 rushing yards. He wasn't the only one eating, though.
Derrick Henry, at 32, still managed 1,595 yards for Baltimore. You've got to respect the longevity. Then you have Jonathan Taylor in Indy, who led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns.
Running the ball is back. Teams are finally realizing that if you can't run against these light "shell" defenses, you're gonna have a bad time.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seattle Explosion
The receiving leader board usually has Tyreek Hill or Justin Jefferson at the top. Not this year. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) went absolutely nuclear in Seattle, racking up 1,793 receiving yards.
He had 119 catches. Basically, every time Sam Darnold—who had a career resurgence of his own with over 4,000 yards—needed a first down, he just looked for #11.
Puka Nacua was right behind him with 1,715 yards. It’s a young man’s game out wide. Even George Pickens, now in Dallas, cracked the top three with 1,429 yards. The league is overflowing with receiving talent right now, making it harder and harder for DBs to keep up.
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Myles Garrett Is Not Human
On the defensive side, Myles Garrett decided to break the game. He set a new single-season record with 23.0 sacks.
He didn't just lead the league; he lapped it. The next closest guy was Brian Burns with 16.5. That 6.5-sack gap is massive. Garrett had a 24.6% pass-rush win rate, which essentially means one out of every four times he tried to hit the QB, he won his matchup instantly.
Jordyn Brooks over in Miami led the league in tackles with 183. That’s a lot of hitting. Meanwhile, Kevin Byard III proved he’s still a ballhawk, snagging 7 interceptions for Chicago.
Why These Stats Change the 2026 Outlook
If you're looking at these NFL player stats leaders to figure out what happens next, here is the reality.
The middle of the field is open again. We saw guys like JSN and Trey McBride (who had 1,239 yards as a tight end!) feast on intermediate routes. The "big play" is evolving from a 50-yard bomb to a 15-yard slant that turns into 40 yards of YAC.
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Also, the "old" QBs aren't going away. Stafford and Rodgers (who still threw 327 completions in Pittsburgh) are proving that experience beats raw arm talent most Sundays.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Offseason
- Watch the Rams' Cap Space: They have the league's most productive offense, but can they keep Adams and Nacua together another year?
- Draft Strategy: In your 2026 fantasy mocks, JSN is a clear top-three pick. The volume in Seattle is undeniable.
- Maye vs. The Field: Keep an eye on New England's offensive line moves. Maye was sacked 47 times—the only thing that can stop him is a lack of protection.
- The Sack Race: Myles Garrett is the betting favorite for DPOY again, but watch for Brian Burns in New York to close the gap if the Giants add another interior rusher.
The stats tell us who won, but the tape tells us why. We're seeing a league that is more balanced between the "old guard" and the "new wave" than ever before. Whether it's James Cook grinding out yards in the snow or Drake Maye slicing up defenses in the sun, the numbers don't lie: the talent level in the NFL has never been higher.
Keep an eye on the coaching carousel this February. A lot of these stat leaders are about to get new offensive coordinators who will try to replicate—or stop—these record-breaking performances.