Bills quarterback Josh Allen prepares a throw against the Washington Football Team during the 2021 season. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Ben Staker
Sports Editor
Disclaimer: All award nominees were found from Fox Sports and Associated Press
On Thursday, Feb. 7, the NFL hosted its 14th annual NFL Honors award show. Every year, the show is hosted the Thursday before the Super Bowl to reveal the winners of the following awards:
- Most Valuable Player (MVP)
- Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY)
- Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)
- Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY)
- Defensive Rookie of the Year (DROY)
- Comeback Player of the Year (CPOY)
- Coach of the Year (COTY)
- Assistant Coach of the Year (ACOTY)
After the show, the Associated Press released the votes for the MVP award in an effort to show transparency. Since this season’s award was heavily debated, the Associated Press wanted people to know exactly how many votes each player received.
Most Valuable Player
This season’s MVP award was given to Buffalo Bills quarterback, Josh Allen. He narrowly beat out Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson by receiving 27 of the 50 first-place votes. Jackson was the only other nominee to receive a first-place vote, receiving 23. The other players Allen beat out for the award were Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
Offensive Player of the Year
The 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year was given to Philadelphia Eagles running back, Saquon Barkley. After a historic season, Barkley won the award over the NFL’s receiving Triple Crown winner, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, Ja’Marr Chase. The three other nominees were Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry.
Defensive Player of the Year
This year’s Defensive Player of the Year is Denver Broncos cornerback, Patrick Surtain II. He beat out the likes of Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt, and Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks this season.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
In an NFL that featured offensive players selected with the first 14 picks, this season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award was bound to be a tight race. The award went to standout Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. He beat out other talented rookies like Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Despite no defensive players being selected until the 15th overall pick, this year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award nominations were filled with talent. The award went to Los Angeles Rams defensive end Jared Verse. He beat out his fellow Rams teammate, defensive tackle, Braden Fiske. The other nominees included Philadelphia Eagles rookie corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, and Miami Dolphins defensive end Chop Robinson.
Comeback Player of the Year
Comeback Player of the Year was given to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow. After suffering a season-ending wrist injury last season, Burrow came back to lead the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns this season. The nominees he beat out were Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, and New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Coach of the Year
The 2024 Coach of the Year is Minnesota Viking head coach Kevin O’Connell. He surprisingly narrowed out a win against Detroit Lions head coach, Dan Campbell. The other nominees were Dan Quinn of the Washington Commanders, Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos.
Assistant Coach of the Year
This season’s top assistant coach was Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson. Next season Johnson will be the head coach of the Chicago Bears, where he will look to lead the franchise and their young quarterback Caleb Williams back to the playoffs. For this award, Johnson beat out his fellow Detroit Lions coordinator Aaron Glenn, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Overall, this year’s NFL Honors award show wasn’t filled with too many surprises. Other than Josh Allen winning the MVP, it seemed like most of the coaches and players favored to win their respective awards ended up getting them. Hopefully next year we have more competition for each award.