AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year

For similar awards by other publications, see List of NFL Comeback Player of the Year awards.

The AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year (CBPOY) award is presented annually by the Associated Press (AP) to a player in the National Football League (NFL). While the criteria for the award is imprecise,^[1] it is typically given to a player who overcomes the worst adversity to return to play even a single snap of NFL football, such as not playing the previous season, injury, or for playing well in comparison to the previous year's poor performance.^[2] The winner is selected by a nationwide panel of media personnel.^[3] Since 2011, the award has been presented at the NFL Honors ceremony held the day before the Super Bowl. Beginning with the 2024 season, the criteria for the award was changed to emphasize players coming back from "illness, physical injury, or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season", as opposed to players having resurgent performances or "coming back from sucking".^[4][5]

AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year

Joe Burrow, 2024 recipient
Awarded for	Comeback player of the year in the National Football League
Presented by	Associated Press
History
First award	1963; 1998
Most wins	Chad Pennington and Joe Burrow (2)
Most recent	Joe Burrow

The AP first recognized an NFL comeback player of the year from 1963 to 1966, but these players are typically not included in overall lists of winners.^[6] The AP did not give the award again until the 1998 season. Only two players have received the award more than once since the AFL–NFL merger: quarterbacks Chad Pennington, who received it in 2006 and 2008 as a member of the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins, respectively, and Joe Burrow, who won it in 2021 and 2024.^[7]

Chad Pennington is one of two players to receive the award more than once.

Winners

Season	Player	Position	Team	Ref
1963	Jim Martin	Placekicker	Baltimore Colts	[8]
1964	Lenny Moore	Halfback		[9]
1965	John Brodie	Quarterback	San Francisco 49ers	[10]
1966	Dick Bass	Fullback	Los Angeles Rams	[11]
No award given between 1967 and 1997
1998	Doug Flutie	Quarterback	Buffalo Bills	[12]
1999	Bryant Young	Defensive tackle	San Francisco 49ers	[13]
2000	Joe Johnson	Defensive end	New Orleans Saints	[14]
2001	Garrison Hearst	Running back	San Francisco 49ers	[15]
2002	Tommy Maddox	Quarterback	Pittsburgh Steelers	[16]
2003	Jon Kitna		Cincinnati Bengals	[17]
2004	Drew Brees		San Diego Chargers	[18]
2005	Steve Smith Tedy Bruschi	Wide receiver Linebacker	Carolina Panthers New England Patriots	[19]
2006	Chad Pennington	Quarterback	New York Jets	[20]
2007	Greg Ellis	Defensive end	Dallas Cowboys	[21]
2008	Chad Pennington (2)	Quarterback	Miami Dolphins	[22]
2009	Tom Brady		New England Patriots	[23]
2010	Michael Vick		Philadelphia Eagles	[24]
2011	Matthew Stafford		Detroit Lions	[25]
2012	Peyton Manning		Denver Broncos	[26]
2013	Philip Rivers		San Diego Chargers	[27]
2014	Rob Gronkowski	Tight end	New England Patriots	[28]
2015	Eric Berry	Safety	Kansas City Chiefs	[29]
2016	Jordy Nelson	Wide receiver	Green Bay Packers	[30]
2017	Keenan Allen		Los Angeles Chargers	[31]
2018	Andrew Luck	Quarterback	Indianapolis Colts	[32]
2019	Ryan Tannehill		Tennessee Titans	[33]
2020	Alex Smith		Washington Football Team	[34]
2021	Joe Burrow		Cincinnati Bengals	[35]
2022	Geno Smith		Seattle Seahawks	[36]
2023	Joe Flacco		Cleveland Browns	[37]
2024	Joe Burrow (2)		Cincinnati Bengals	[38]

See also

• List of NFL Comeback Player of the Year awards for an overview of similar awards from other organizations