The Maxwell Football Club has announced the recipients of its 2025 professional honours, recognising standout leadership and performance in the National Football League at both player and coaching level. The awards underscore the growing commercial and organisational significance of elite on-field execution in a league increasingly shaped by efficiency, data-driven decision-making and high-value talent development.
Maxwell Football Club Director Mark Wolpert confirmed that Drake Maye, quarterback of the New England Patriots, has been selected as the winner of the 67th Bert Bell Professional Player of the Year Award. At the same time, Ben Johnson, head coach of the Chicago Bears, has been named the recipient of the 35th Greasy Neale Professional Coach of the Year Award.
Quarterback performance drives Patriots’ resurgence
In only his second NFL season, Maye established himself as one of the league’s most effective quarterbacks, combining production with composure that belied his experience. He ranked among the NFL’s top passers after throwing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns, while finishing the season with a league-leading passer rating of 113.5. His command of the Patriots’ offence translated into consistent execution, particularly in high-pressure situations.
From a business perspective, quarterback stability remains one of the most valuable assets in professional American football, influencing franchise valuation, fan engagement and long-term competitive planning. Maye’s performance was central to New England’s return to the top of the AFC East, securing the franchise’s 23rd division title and powering a dominant postseason run that culminated in the club’s 12th Super Bowl appearance.
The individual accolades followed naturally. Alongside the Bert Bell Award, Maye earned Pro Bowl honours and was named to the Associated Press Second Team All-Pro, reinforcing his status as a cornerstone player around whom the Patriots’ competitive and commercial strategies can be built.
Ben Johnson delivers rapid organisational turnaround in Chicago
Johnson’s recognition reflects a different, though equally valuable, dimension of elite performance: organisational transformation. In his first season as head coach in Chicago, he led a team that had managed only five wins in 2024 to NFC North champions, delivering the Bears’ first playoff victory in 15 years.
Such turnarounds are closely watched across the league, where ownership groups and executives increasingly prioritise coaching structures capable of accelerating competitive cycles. Under Johnson’s leadership, Chicago developed a reputation for late-game resilience, recording an NFL-record seven comeback victories and consistently closing out matches with discipline and clarity.
Statistically, the Bears finished sixth in the league in total offence, accumulating 6,709 yards, or 369.2 per game. The team also fielded one of the NFL’s most productive rushing attacks, ranking third in total rushing yards at 2,456, rushing yards per game at 144.5, and yards per carry at 4.9. The balance between physicality and efficiency reflected a clear offensive identity aligned with Johnson’s strategic approach.
Johnson’s inaugural campaign has been widely viewed as a benchmark for effective leadership transition, demonstrating how preparation, situational awareness and coherent system design can translate quickly into results on the field and renewed confidence off it.
Awards ceremony and broader significance
The formal presentation of the Bert Bell and Greasy Neale Awards will take place on Saturday, 14 March 2026, at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. Tickets for the gala are currently available, and the evening will also see the Maxwell Football Club present its full slate of national awards, spanning high school, collegiate and professional levels.
For the Maxwell Football Club, the annual awards serve not only to honour individual excellence but also to highlight trends shaping the modern game. From elite quarterback play to rapid coaching-driven turnarounds, the 2025 recipients illustrate how performance, leadership and strategic clarity continue to define success in one of the world’s most commercially sophisticated sports leagues.
