The NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award is a great initiative of the league as it recognizes the difficulty in overcoming adversity irrespective of the nature of the problem at hand. Receiving an award of excellence after a horrendous year, be it physically or mentally, motivates any player to keep working hard and striving towards further success. The winner is decided by a panel of media personnel from all over the nation.
As with all the other NFL awards, the one given out by the Associated Press (AP) is considered as the official one, but several other organizations are also giving out similar awards. Every year the Associated Press takes into consideration the candidates for this specific recognition based on their previous year’s adversity. For instance, past winners have received this honor either while overcoming serious injuries causing them to miss the previous year or for greatly improving their performance in comparison to the previous year.
Associated Press started handing out this award in 1963 but then stopped just four years later in 1967. After a long gap of thirty-odd years, they once again resumed the award from 1998 onwards. This honor has been handed out to both the offensive and the defensive members of a team on different occasions, however, the quarterbacks are the ones that have earned it more than any other position.
List of AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year winners
| Season | Player | Position | Team |
| 1963 | Jim Martin | Placekicker | Baltimore Colts |
| 1964 | Lenny Moore | Halfback | Baltimore Colts |
| 1965 | John Brodie | Quarterback | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1966 | Dick Bass | Fullback | Los Angeles Rams |
| No award was given between 1967 and 1997 | |||
| 1998 | Doug Flutie | Quarterback | Buffalo Bills |
| 1999 | Bryant Young | Defensive tackle | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2000 | Joe Johnson | Defensive end | New Orleans Saints |
| 2001 | Garrison Hearst | Running back | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2002 | Tommy Maddox | Quarterback | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2003 | Jon Kitna | Quarterback | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2004 | Drew Brees | Quarterback | San Diego Chargers |
| 2005 | Steve Smith | Wide receiver | Carolina Panthers |
| Tedy Bruschi | Linebacker | New England Patriots | |
| 2006 | Chad Pennington | Quarterback | New York Jets |
| 2007 | Greg Ellis | Defensive end | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2008 | Chad Pennington (2) | Quarterback | Miami Dolphins |
| 2009 | Tom Brady | Quarterback | New England Patriots |
| 2010 | Michael Vick | Quarterback | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2011 | Matthew Stafford | Quarterback | Detroit Lions |
| 2012 | Peyton Manning | Quarterback | Denver Broncos |
| 2013 | Philip Rivers | Quarterback | San Diego Chargers |
| 2014 | Rob Gronkowski | Tight end | New England Patriots |
| 2015 | Eric Berry | Safety | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2016 | Jordy Nelson | Wide receiver | Green Bay Packers |
| 2017 | Keenan Allen | Wide receiver | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 2018 | Andrew Luck | Quarterback | Indianapolis Colts |
| 2019 | Ryan Tannehill | Quarterback | Tennessee Titans |
| 2020 | Alex Smith | Quarterback | Washington Football Team |
| 2021 | Joe Burrow | Quarterback | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2022 | Geno Smith | Quarterback | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2023 | Joe Flacco | Quarterback | Cleveland Browns |
FAQs
A. Chad Pennington is the only player to have won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award twice. He won it in 2006 and 2008.
A. The NFL Comeback Player of the Year award is presented to the player who has persevered through difficulties such as injuries or poor form for the past year and has overcome them to succeed once again on the field.
A. The first NFL Comeback Player of the Year award was presented in 1963 to Jim Martin who was a placekicker for the Baltimore Colts.
A. The NFL Comeback Player of the Year award was reinstated in 1998. The Buffalo Bills quarterback Doug Flutie was the winner.
A. Quarterbacks are the ones who have received the most NFL Comeback Player of the Year awards till date.
