Emeka Egbuka finished 2025 with the fourth-most rookie receiving yards in Buccaneers history, and failed to receive a single offensive rookie of the year award vote. He began his rookie campaign hot and recorded three 100+ yard games within the first 10 weeks of the season.
His production dipped dramatically after Week 10, and he promptly fell out of the rookie award race. While he didn't finish the season the way Buccaneers fans would like, he still produced an elite rookie year.
On Thursday night at the NFL Honors show, it was revealed that Egbuka failed to gain a single OROY vote. The award was won in runaway fashion by Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who received 41 of the 50 votes.
Despite his elite first half of the season, Egbuka fell to fifth place in the award. Finishing fifth is insane, especially when you compare his production to his counterparts.
McMillan caught 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. He produced just three more yards per game than Egbuka, despite playing a much higher percentage of snaps. McMillan also wasn't battling Mike Evans for targets for part of the season.
Emeka Egbuka's elite first half was not enough to propel him into offensive rookie of the year consideration
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough finished second after he posted a 67% completion percentage and a 5:3 TD: INT ratio. He led the Saints on a resurgence late in the season, where they won every game in December, including a four-point win over the Bucs.
Jaxon Dart finished fourth, 22 points above Egbuka. Through his 12 starts, Dart led the Giants to a 4-8 record, was sacked 35 times while throwing for just 202 yards per game through his complete games.
It's easy to see why Egbuka didn't win the award, but seeing him finish so poorly is disappointing. His performance for this award is similar to Evans' 2014 rookie campaign. Evans received just one first-place vote for the OROY despite 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The good news is that Egbuka has green grass ahead of him. With new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and QB coach Chandler Whitmer in the building, the offense is only improving. The only thing holding Egbuka back might be Evans's presence, but he's still undecided to return in 2026.
Egbuka laid the foundation for an elite career, and he's just getting started. If the Ohio State standout can improve his 49% catch percentage and 7.1% drop rate, he will become an elite receiver in the league.
All fans can do is hope he performs at a high level again in 2026, and he's finally recognize next season.