Matthew Stafford beat out Drake Maye, while Myles Garrett, Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were unanimous choices for the 2025 Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team.
Bijan Robinson is the running back while Christian McCaffrey earned the All-Purpose spot. Ja’Marr Chase is the third wide receiver and tight end Trey McBride got 49 of 50 first-place votes.
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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) is congratulated by head coach Mike Macdonald during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) celebrates with fans as he exits the field following the team's victory over the Arizona Cardinals in an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) celebrates with defensive end Adin Huntington (98) after sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to set an NFL record for sacks in the regular season during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Will Anderson Jr. and Micah Parsons joined Garrett at edge rusher. Jeffery Simmons and Zach Allen were selected as interior defensive linemen.
"That’s great. Needed that for real,” said Parsons, who had surgery to repair a torn ACL and won’t be playing in the playoffs for the Packers. “Look forward to trying to get back to that same status this offseason.”
The 37-year-old Stafford received 31 first-place votes to Maye’s 18 to earn All-Pro honors for the first time in his 17-year career. Josh Allen got the other vote. Stafford was first in the NFL with 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns. His passer rating of 109.2 was second only to Maye, who finished at 113.5. Maye had 4,394 yards passing and 31 TDs.
Last year, Lamar Jackson was the first-team All-Pro quarterback and Allen was the AP NFL MVP.
“That’s amazing,” Stafford said when he heard the news. “I did not see that coming. Played a lot of years. A lot of respect for this game. A lot of respect for the other guys who do what I do. It’s not an easy thing to do. It means a lot.”
Stafford is the second player ever to be named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his 17th season or later, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Kicker Gary Anderson also made it for the first time in his 17th season, in 1998. Before Stafford, the longest wait for a quarterback was Fran Tarkenton, who was an All-Pro for the first time in his 15th season, in 1975.
The Denver Broncos, the AFC’s No. 1 seed, had four first-team players and two second. Allen, left tackle Garrett Boles, left guard Quinn Meinerz and special teamer Devon Key made the first team. Cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and safety Talanoa Hufanga made the second team.
Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and slot cornerback Cooper DeJean made the roster in their second seasons. Houston’s Derek Stingley Jr. got 41 first-place votes to lead the voting at cornerback.
Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, Bears left guard Joe Thuney and Lions right tackle Penei Sewell along with Meinerz are repeat selections.
Garrett, who broke the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23, is a five-time All-Pro. Parsons is a three-time first-teamer and once made the second team.
“That’s crazy,” Anderson said about joining Garrett and Parsons. “It means a lot. It’s such a blessing. I have to give credit to my guys. I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton and Chicago’s Kevin Byard are the safeties. Detroit’s Jack Campbell and Miami’s Jordyn Brooks are the linebackers.
San Francisco fullback Kyle Juszczyk rounds out the offense.
Eighteen players are first-timers, including five on special teams.
Key, Vikings kicker Will Reichard, Ravens punter Jordan Stout, Bills kick returner Ray Davis and Titans rookie punt returner Chimere Dike are the first-timers. Jaguars long snapper Ross Matiscik made it for the second time.
Dike is the fourth rookie since 2020 to make the team.
“That’s awesome,” Dike said. “Everyone wants to be All-Pro one day and that’s one of the goals I set at the beginning of the season for my career and to be able to do that in my first year, I’m just thankful (special teams) coach (John Fassel) and my teammates had belief in me."
This was the fourth year for the AP’s new voting system. Voters chose a first team and a second team. First-team votes are worth 3 points, second-team votes are worth 1.
Votes were tabulated by the accounting firm of Lutz and Carr.
This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of Dike’s first name to Chimere, not Chimera.
AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) is congratulated by head coach Mike Macdonald during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) celebrates with fans as he exits the field following the team's victory over the Arizona Cardinals in an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) celebrates with defensive end Adin Huntington (98) after sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to set an NFL record for sacks in the regular season during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
SAN FRANCISCO DE YARE, Venezuela (AP) — As Diógenes Angulo was freed Saturday from a Venezuelan prison after a year and five months, he, his mother and his aunt trembled and struggled for words. Nearby, at least a dozen other families hoped for similar reunions.
Angulo’s release came on the third day that families had gathered outside prisons in the capital, Caracas, and other communities hoping to see loved ones walk out after Venezuela's government pledged to free what it described as a significant number of prisoners. Members of Venezuela’s political opposition, activists, journalists and soldiers were among the detainees that families hoped would be released.
Angulo was detained two days before the 2024 presidential election after he posted a video of an opposition demonstration in Barinas, the home state of the late President Hugo Chávez. He was 17 at the time.
“Thank God, I’m going to enjoy my family again,” he told The Associated Press, adding that others still detained “are well” and have high hopes of being released soon. His faith, he said, gave him the strength to keep going during his detention.
Minutes after he was freed, the now 19-year-old learned former President Nicolás Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces Jan. 3 in a nighttime raid in Caracas.
Venezuela's government on Thursday pledged to free a significant number of prisoners in what it described as a gesture to “seek peace.” Officials have not identified or given a number of prisoners being considered for release, leaving rights groups scouring for hints of information and families to watch the hours tick by with no word.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the release of people detained for political reasons came at Washington’s request.
"Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners," Trump wrote Saturday on his Truth Social platform. “Thank you! I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done.”
Trump added that should prisoners forget, “it will not be good for them.”
As of Saturday night, only 16 people imprisoned for political reasons had been released, according to Foro Penal, a Venezuelan advocacy group for prisoners. Eight hundred and four remained imprisoned, the group said.
A brother of human rights attorney Rocío San Miguel, one of the first to be released and who immediately relocated to Spain, said in a statement that her release “is not full freedom, but rather a precautionary measure substituting deprivation of liberty.” The conditions of her release ban her from speaking to the media.
“This situation does not constitute exile, nor a waiver of her rights, but is part of the humanitarian and diplomatic agreements reached to facilitate her release,” José Manuel San Miguel said of his sister's move to Spain.
Among the prominent members of the country’s political opposition who were detained after the 2024 presidential elections and remain in prison are former lawmaker Freddy Superlano and Perkins Rocha, lawyer for opposition leader María Corina Machado. Juan Pablo Guanipa, a former governor and one of Machado's closest allies, and Rafael Tudares, the son-in-law of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González, also remain imprisoned.
One week after the U.S. military intervention in Caracas, Venezuelans aligned with the government marched in several cities across the country demanding the return of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. The pair were captured and transferred to the U.S., where they face charges including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism. Both pleaded not guilty.
In Caracas, many demonstrators waved Venezuelan flags and chanted, “Maduro, keep on going, the people are rising.”
Acting president Delcy Rodríguez, speaking at a public social-sector event in Caracas, again condemned the U.S. military action on Saturday.
“There is a government, that of President Nicolás Maduro, and I have the responsibility to take charge while his kidnapping lasts ... We will not stop condemning the criminal aggression,” she said, referring to Maduro’s ousting.
After the shocking military action that overthrew Maduro, Trump stated the U.S. would “run” the South American country and demanded access to oil resources, which he promised to use “to benefit the people” of both nations.
“I love the Venezuelan people and I am already making Venezuela prosperous and safe again,” Trump said in his Saturday post.
The U.S. and Venezuelan governments on Friday announced they are evaluating the restoration of diplomatic relations, broken since 2019, and the reopening of their respective diplomatic missions. A U.S. delegation visited Venezuela for several hours Friday.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil responded to Pope Leo XIV's statement Friday calling for maintaining peace and “respecting the will of the Venezuelan people.”
“With respect for the Holy Father and his spiritual authority, Venezuela reaffirms that it is a country that builds, works, and defends its sovereignty with peace and dignity,” Gil said in a social media post, inviting the pontiff “to get to know this reality more closely.”
Relatives and friends of political prisoners hold candles calling for their loved ones to be set free outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 after the government announced prisoners would be released. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Mariana Gonzalez, the daughter of opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, whose husband is detained, waits outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Relatives and friends of political prisoners hold banners calling for their loved ones to be set free outside El Helicoide, the headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and detention center, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 after the government announced prisoners would be released.(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Police patrol near El Helicoide, headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and a detention center, in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Narwin Gil cries as she waits for news of her detained sister, Marylyn Gil, outside El Helicoide, headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and a detention center, in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Police patrol near El Helicoide, headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and a detention center, in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A relative embraces Diogenes Angulo after his release from prison in San Francisco de Yare, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. Angulo had been detained two days before the 2024 presidential election. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
