Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award

The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award (OPOY) is given annually by the Associated Press (AP) to the offensive player in the National Football League (NFL) deemed to have had the most outstanding season. The winner is chosen by votes from a nationwide panel of sportswriters who regularly follow the NFL. Multiple-time awardees include Marshall Faulk and Earl Campbell, both of whom won the award three times, each consecutively. Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Tom Brady, Terrell Davis, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning have each won the award twice. Campbell is the only player to win the award as a rookie, doing so in 1978. Warren Moon and Priest Holmes are the only undrafted players to win the award. Manning is the only player to win the award with two different teams, doing so in 2004 with the Indianapolis Colts and in 2013 with the Denver Broncos. The award is currently held by running back Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers, who received it for the 2023 NFL season after being just the third player in NFL history to post more than 2000 scrimmage yards in a season for two different franchises.

AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award

Christian McCaffrey, the most recent recipient
Awarded for	Offensive player of the year in the National Football League
Presented by	Associated Press
History
First award	1972
Most wins	Earl Campbell, Marshall Faulk (3 each)
Most recent	Christian McCaffrey

Every winner of the award has been either a running back or a quarterback, with the exception of wide receivers Jerry Rice, Michael Thomas, Cooper Kupp, and Justin Jefferson ^[1] Running backs have been awarded 26 times, followed by quarterbacks, with 20 awards. Of the 49 winners, 28 were also named the AP NFL Most Valuable Player in the same season. Since 2011, both awards have been given out at the annual NFL Honors ceremony along with other AP awards, including the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and AP NFL Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards.^[2]

Players are often awarded after record-breaking or near-record-breaking offensive seasons. Running back O. J. Simpson won the award for 1973 after rushing for a record 2,003 yards, becoming the first NFL player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.^[3] When his record was broken by Eric Dickerson in 1984, Dickerson placed second in voting behind quarterback Dan Marino, who that year was the first to pass for 5,000 yards in a season.^[4] Marino's 5,084 yards stood as the record for 27 years before being broken by Drew Brees in 2011, who won that season's award.^[5] In turn, 2013 winner Peyton Manning set league single-season records for passing yards (5,477) and passing touchdowns (55).^[6]

Winners

2006 winner LaDainian Tomlinson set NFL single-season records for rushing touchdowns (28), touchdowns from scrimmage (31), and points scored (186).^[7]

Adrian Peterson won the award in 2012 after rushing for 2,097 yards, the second most all time by a player in a single season.^[8]

Season	Player	Position	Team	Ref.
1972	Larry Brown	Running back	Washington Redskins	[9]
1973	O. J. Simpson		Buffalo Bills	[3]
1974	Ken Stabler	Quarterback	Oakland Raiders	[10]
1975	Fran Tarkenton		Minnesota Vikings	[11]
1976	Bert Jones		Baltimore Colts	[12]
1977	Walter Payton	Running back	Chicago Bears	[13]
1978	Earl Campbell		Houston Oilers	[14]
1979	Earl Campbell (2)		Houston Oilers	[15]
1980	Earl Campbell (3)		Houston Oilers	[16]
1981	Ken Anderson	Quarterback	Cincinnati Bengals	[17]
1982	Dan Fouts		San Diego Chargers	[18]
1983	Joe Theismann		Washington Redskins	[19]
1984	Dan Marino		Miami Dolphins	[4]
1985	Marcus Allen	Running back	Los Angeles Raiders	[20]
1986	Eric Dickerson		Los Angeles Rams	[21]
1987	Jerry Rice	Wide receiver	San Francisco 49ers	[22]
1988	Roger Craig	Running back	San Francisco 49ers	[23]
1989	Joe Montana	Quarterback	San Francisco 49ers	[24]
1990	Warren Moon		Houston Oilers	[25]
1991	Thurman Thomas	Running back	Buffalo Bills	[26]
1992	Steve Young	Quarterback	San Francisco 49ers	[24]
1993	Jerry Rice (2)	Wide receiver	San Francisco 49ers	[27]
1994	Barry Sanders	Running back	Detroit Lions	[28]
1995	Brett Favre	Quarterback	Green Bay Packers	[29]
1996	Terrell Davis	Running back	Denver Broncos	[30]
1997	Barry Sanders (2)		Detroit Lions	[31]
1998	Terrell Davis (2)		Denver Broncos	[32]
1999	Marshall Faulk		St. Louis Rams	[33]
2000	Marshall Faulk (2)		St. Louis Rams	[34]
2001	Marshall Faulk (3)		St. Louis Rams	[35]
2002	Priest Holmes		Kansas City Chiefs	[36]
2003	Jamal Lewis		Baltimore Ravens	[37]
2004	Peyton Manning	Quarterback	Indianapolis Colts	[38]
2005	Shaun Alexander	Running back	Seattle Seahawks	[39]
2006	LaDainian Tomlinson		San Diego Chargers	[7]
2007	Tom Brady	Quarterback	New England Patriots	[40]
2008	Drew Brees		New Orleans Saints	[41]
2009	Chris Johnson	Running back	Tennessee Titans	[42]
2010	Tom Brady (2)	Quarterback	New England Patriots	[43]
2011	Drew Brees (2)		New Orleans Saints	[5]
2012	Adrian Peterson	Running back	Minnesota Vikings	[8]
2013	Peyton Manning (2)	Quarterback	Denver Broncos	[6]
2014	DeMarco Murray	Running back	Dallas Cowboys	[44]
2015	Cam Newton	Quarterback	Carolina Panthers	[45]
2016	Matt Ryan		Atlanta Falcons	[46]
2017	Todd Gurley	Running back	Los Angeles Rams	[47]
2018	Patrick Mahomes	Quarterback	Kansas City Chiefs	[48]
2019	Michael Thomas	Wide receiver	New Orleans Saints	[49]
2020	Derrick Henry	Running back	Tennessee Titans	[50]
2021	Cooper Kupp	Wide receiver	Los Angeles Rams	[51]
2022	Justin Jefferson		Minnesota Vikings	[52]
2023	Christian McCaffrey	Running back	San Francisco 49ers	[53]

Multiple-time winners

Player	Awards	Position	Team	Seasons
Earl Campbell	3	Running back	Houston Oilers	1978, 1979, 1980
Marshall Faulk	3	Running back	St. Louis Rams	1999, 2000, 2001
Jerry Rice	2	Wide receiver	San Francisco 49ers	1987, 1993
Barry Sanders	2	Running back	Detroit Lions	1994, 1997
Terrell Davis	2	Running back	Denver Broncos	1996, 1998
Tom Brady	2	Quarterback	New England Patriots	2007, 2010
Drew Brees	2	Quarterback	New Orleans Saints	2008, 2011
Peyton Manning	2	Quarterback	Indianapolis Colts Denver Broncos	2004, 2013

See also

• Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award
• Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award
• FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year
• Kansas City Committee of 101 AFC and NFC Offensive Players of the Year
• National Football League Offensive Player of the Year Award, overview of all NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards

References

General

• Gellerman, Jacob; Drexler, Sam; Marini, Matt; Cocchiaro, Nicolas; Zerkel, Alex, eds. (2016). 2018 Official NFL Record and Fact Book (PDF). National Football League. p. 524. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
• "AP Offensive Player of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2016.

Footnotes

1. Hope, Dan (July 7, 2013). "Ranking the Top 25 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Candidates". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 26, 2017. The award is typically given to the league's most productive quarterback or running back. Of the 41 times it has been given, it's been won 39 times by either a quarterback or running back. The exception is San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice, who won the award in both 1987 and 1993.
2. "First-ever 'NFL Honors' show will be hosted by Baldwin in Indy". NFL.com. National Football League. January 3, 2012. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
3. "Simpson Offensive Winner". Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. January 4, 1974. p. 11. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
4. "Record-breaking Marino wins top offensive honor". Gadsden Times. Associated Press. December 19, 1984. p. D2. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
5. "Saints' Brees wins AP Offensive Player of the Year award". NFL.com. NFL. February 4, 2012. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
6. "Broncos' Peyton Manning earns Offensive Player of the Year". NFL.com. NFL. February 2, 2014. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
7. Wilner, Barry (January 5, 2007). "L.T. Wins AP Offensive Player Award". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
8. "Adrian Peterson tabbed AP Offensive Player of the Year". NFL.com. NFL. February 2, 2013. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
9. "Top NFL Offensive Player: Larry Brown Doesn't Like Comparisons With Others". Observer-Reporter. Associated Press. January 5, 1973. p. B-4. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
10. "Ken Stabler Named NFL's Offensive Player Of Year". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Associated Press. January 8, 1975. p. 1C. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
11. "Tarkenton Honored". The Vic jotos de mierda toria Advocate. Associated Press. January 13, 1976. p. 2B. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
12. "Offensive Award to Bert Jones". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. December 30, 1976. p. 1B. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
13. "Chicago's Payton Picked Offensive Player Of Year". Herald-Journal. Associated Press. January 5, 1978. p. C3. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
14. "Campbell Wins Offensive Title". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. January 12, 1979. p. 6B. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
15. "Campbell Walks With Second Offensive Title". The Virgin Islands Daily News. Associated Press. December 24, 1979. p. 33. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
16. Olderman, Murray (January 18, 1981). "Earl Campbell: a triple champ". The Nevada Daily Mail. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 10. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
17. "Anderson is top offensive player". The Telegraph. Associated Press. January 8, 1982. p. 18. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
18. "Fouts Tops On Offense". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. January 7, 1983. p. 18. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
19. Lowitt, Bruce (December 23, 1983). "Theismann crowned as top offensive player". Daily News. Associated Press. p. 3B. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
20. Nadel, John (December 30, 1983). "Allen sweeps offensive honors". The Free Lance-Star. Associated Press. p. 5. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
21. "Dickerson earns offensive honor". The Free Lance-Star. Associated Press. December 30, 1986. p. 10. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
22. "Rice is Offensive Player of the year". The Evening News. Associated Press. December 30, 1987. p. 2B. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
23. Wilner, Barry (December 29, 1988). "Craig earns offensive award". The Times-News. Associated Press. p. 20. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
24. "Young named Offensive Player of the Year". The Times-News. Associated Press. January 5, 1993. p. 1B. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
25. "Moon top offensive player". Bangor Daily News. Associated Press. January 10, 1991. p. 11. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
26. "No more doubting Thomas: Bills' back selected as Offensive Player of Year". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. December 30, 1991. p. B1. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
27. Wilner, Barry (January 6, 1994). "Rice Offensive Player of the Year". Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press. p. 1B. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
28. "Sanders are players of the year". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. December 29, 1994. p. 3C. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
29. "Favre voted best on offense". The News. Associated Press. December 30, 1995. p. 3C. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
30. "Denver running back Davis is Offensive Player of the Year". The Argus-Press. Associated Press. December 27, 1996. p. 10. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
31. Barry, Wilner (December 26, 1997). "Detroit's Sanders named Offensive Player of Year". Daily News. Associated Press. p. 1B. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
32. Wilner, Barry (January 6, 1999). "Davis named Offensive Player of the Year". Boca Raton News. Associated Press. p. 4B. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
33. "Faulk is overwhelming choice for offensive player of the year". The Southeast Missourian. Associated Press. January 13, 2000. p. 1B. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
34. "Faulk: Offensive Player of Year". Gadsden Times. January 5, 2001. p. D3. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
35. "Marshall Faulk wins Offensive Player of the Year". The Argus-Press. Associated Press. January 18, 2002. p. 11. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
36. Wilner, Barry (January 10, 2003). "Honored Holmes: Chiefs back voted top offensive player". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. p. 5B. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
37. "Ravens' Lewis named AP's offensive player of the year". Athens Banner-Herald. Associated Press. January 1, 2004. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
38. "Manning claims offensive award". TimesDaily. Associated Press. January 6, 2005. p. 3C. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
39. Wilner, Barry (January 5, 2006). "Alexander named NFL MVP, top offensive player". USA Today. Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
40. "Brady adds AP Offensive Player of Year to MVP". NFL.com. Associated Press. January 8, 2008. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
41. "Brees named AP offensive player of year". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 6, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
42. "Johnson makes fast impression". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 13, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
43. "Brady wins AP offensive player of year award". The Denver Post. February 1, 2011. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
44. Brinson, Will (January 31, 2015). "NFL Offensive Player of the Year: DeMarco Murray beats Aaron Rodgers". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
45. "Cam Newton named NFL MVP and offensive player of the year". The Guardian. Associated Press. February 6, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
46. McClure, Vaughn (February 4, 2017). "Falcons QB Matt Ryan wins NFL MVP, Offensive Player of Year". ABC News. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
47. Knoblauch, Austin (February 3, 2018). "Todd Gurley named NFL Offensive Player of the Year". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018.
48. Gordon, Grant (2019-02-02). "Patrick Mahomes named NFL Offensive Player of Year". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
49. Scott, Jelani (February 1, 2020). "Saints WR Michael Thomas named 2019 NFL OPOY". NFL.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
50. Maya, Adam (February 6, 2021). "Titans RB Derrick Henry named NFL AP Offensive Player of the Year". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
51. Maya, Adam (February 10, 2022). "Rams WR Cooper Kupp named 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
52. Edholm, Eric (February 9, 2023). "Vikings WR Justin Jefferson named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
53. Edholm, Eric (February 9, 2024). "Niners RB Christian McCaffrey named AP 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.