AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year

The AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY) is an annual award presented 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. Marshall Faulk and Earl Campbell are the only players to have won the award three times, in three consecutive seasons. 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 Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles, who received it for the 2024 NFL season after being just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

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 <ref>Template:Cite news.</ref> Running backs have been awarded 26 times, followed by quarterbacks, with 20 awards. Of the 53 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref name=Simpson/> 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.<ref name=Marino/> 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.<ref name=Brees2/> In turn, 2013 winner Peyton Manning set league single-season records for passing yards (5,477) and passing touchdowns (55).<ref name=Manning2013/>

Winners

File:LaDainian Tomlinson vs Cleveland (cropped).jpg

2006 winner LaDainian Tomlinson set NFL single-season records for rushing touchdowns (28), touchdowns from scrimmage (31), and points scored (186).<ref name=Tomlinson/>

File:Adrian Peterson.jpg

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.<ref name=Peterson/>

List of AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year winners

Season	Player	Position	Team	Template:Ref.
1972	Template:Sortname	Running back	Washington Redskins	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1973	Template:Sortname		Buffalo Bills	<ref name=Simpson>Template:Cite news</ref>
1974	Template:Sortname	Quarterback	Oakland Raiders	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1975	Template:Sortname		Minnesota Vikings	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1976	Template:Sortname		Baltimore Colts	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1977	Template:Sortname	Running back	Chicago Bears	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1978	Template:Sortname		Houston Oilers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1979	Template:Sortname Template:Small		Houston Oilers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1980	Template:Sortname Template:Small		Houston Oilers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1981	Template:Sortname	Quarterback	Cincinnati Bengals	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1982	Template:Sortname		San Diego Chargers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1983	Template:Sortname		Washington Redskins	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1984	Template:Sortname		Miami Dolphins	<ref name=Marino>Template:Cite news</ref>
1985	Template:Sortname	Running back	Los Angeles Raiders	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1986	Template:Sortname		Los Angeles Rams	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1987	Template:Sortname	Wide receiver	San Francisco 49ers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1988	Template:Sortname	Running back	San Francisco 49ers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1989	Template:Sortname	Quarterback	San Francisco 49ers	<ref name=Young/>
1990	Template:Sortname		Houston Oilers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1991	Template:Sortname	Running back	Buffalo Bills	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1992	Template:Sortname	Quarterback	San Francisco 49ers	<ref name=Young>Template:Cite news</ref>
1993	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Wide receiver	San Francisco 49ers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1994	Template:Sortname	Running back	Detroit Lions	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1995	Template:Sortname	Quarterback	Green Bay Packers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1996	Template:Sortname	Running back	Denver Broncos	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1997	Template:Sortname Template:Small		Detroit Lions	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1998	Template:Sortname Template:Small		Denver Broncos	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1999	Template:Sortname		St. Louis Rams	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2000	Template:Sortname Template:Small		St. Louis Rams	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2001	Template:Sortname Template:Small		St. Louis Rams	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2002	Template:Sortname		Kansas City Chiefs	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2003	Template:Sortname		Baltimore Ravens	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2004	Template:Sortname	Quarterback	Indianapolis Colts	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2005	Template:Sortname	Running back	Seattle Seahawks	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2006	Template:Sortname		San Diego Chargers	<ref name=Tomlinson>Template:Cite news</ref>
2007	Template:Sortname	Quarterback	New England Patriots	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2008	Template:Sortname		New Orleans Saints	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2009	Template:Sortname	Running back	Tennessee Titans	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2010	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Quarterback	New England Patriots	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2011	Template:Sortname Template:Small		New Orleans Saints	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2012	Template:Sortname	Running back	Minnesota Vikings	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2013	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Quarterback	Denver Broncos	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2014	Template:Sortname	Running back	Dallas Cowboys	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2015	Template:Sortname	Quarterback	Carolina Panthers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2016	Template:Sortname		Atlanta Falcons	<ref name=Ryan>Template:Cite news</ref>
2017	Template:Sortname	Running back	Los Angeles Rams	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2018	Template:Sortname	Quarterback	Kansas City Chiefs	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2019	Template:Sortname	Wide receiver	New Orleans Saints	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2020	Template:Sortname	Running back	Tennessee Titans	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2021	Template:Sortname	Wide receiver	Los Angeles Rams	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2022	Template:Sortname		Minnesota Vikings	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2023	Template:Sortname	Running back	San Francisco 49ers	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2024	Template:Sortname		Philadelphia Eagles	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Multiple-time winners

List of 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

• AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year

References

General

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Footnotes