# AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award

The AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award (OPOY) is 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. 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 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 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.
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. 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. 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. In turn, 2013 winner Peyton Manning set league single-season records for passing yards (5,477) and passing touchdowns (55).

## Winners

| Season | Player | Position | Team |
| 1972 | Larry Brown | Running back | Washington Redskins |
| 1973 | O. J. Simpson | Running back | Buffalo Bills |
| 1974 | Ken Stabler | Quarterback | Oakland Raiders |
| 1975 | Fran Tarkenton | Quarterback | Minnesota Vikings |
| 1976 | Bert Jones | Quarterback | Baltimore Colts |
| 1977 | Walter Payton | Running back | Chicago Bears |
| 1978 | Earl Campbell | Running back | Houston Oilers |
| 1979 | Earl Campbell (2) | Running back | Houston Oilers |
| 1980 | Earl Campbell (3) | Running back | Houston Oilers |
| 1981 | Ken Anderson | Quarterback | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1982 | Dan Fouts | Quarterback | San Diego Chargers |
| 1983 | Joe Theismann | Quarterback | Washington Redskins |
| 1984 | Dan Marino | Quarterback | Miami Dolphins |
| 1985 | Marcus Allen | Running back | Los Angeles Raiders |
| 1986 | Eric Dickerson | Running back | Los Angeles Rams |
| 1987 | Jerry Rice | Wide receiver | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1988 | Roger Craig | Running back | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1989 | Joe Montana | Quarterback | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1990 | Warren Moon | Quarterback | Houston Oilers |
| 1991 | Thurman Thomas | Running back | Buffalo Bills |
| 1992 | Steve Young | Quarterback | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1993 | Jerry Rice (2) | Wide receiver | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1994 | Barry Sanders | Running back | Detroit Lions |
| 1995 | Brett Favre | Quarterback | Green Bay Packers |
| 1996 | Terrell Davis | Running back | Denver Broncos |
| 1997 | Barry Sanders (2) | Running back | Detroit Lions |
| 1998 | Terrell Davis (2) | Running back | Denver Broncos |
| 1999 | Marshall Faulk | Running back | St. Louis Rams |
| 2000 | Marshall Faulk (2) | Running back | St. Louis Rams |
| 2001 | Marshall Faulk (3) | Running back | St. Louis Rams |
| 2002 | Priest Holmes | Running back | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2003 | Jamal Lewis | Running back | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2004 | Peyton Manning | Quarterback | Indianapolis Colts |
| 2005 | Shaun Alexander | Running back | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2006 | LaDainian Tomlinson | Running back | San Diego Chargers |
| 2007 | Tom Brady | Quarterback | New England Patriots |
| 2008 | Drew Brees | Quarterback | New Orleans Saints |
| 2009 | Chris Johnson | Running back | Tennessee Titans |
| 2010 | Tom Brady (2) | Quarterback | New England Patriots |
| 2011 | Drew Brees (2) | Quarterback | New Orleans Saints |
| 2012 | Adrian Peterson | Running back | Minnesota Vikings |
| 2013 | Peyton Manning (2) | Quarterback | Denver Broncos |
| 2014 | DeMarco Murray | Running back | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2015 | Cam Newton | Quarterback | Carolina Panthers |
| 2016 | Matt Ryan | Quarterback | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2017 | Todd Gurley | Running back | Los Angeles Rams |
| 2018 | Patrick Mahomes | Quarterback | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2019 | Michael Thomas | Wide receiver | New Orleans Saints |
| 2020 | Derrick Henry | Running back | Tennessee Titans |
| 2021 | Cooper Kupp | Wide receiver | Los Angeles Rams |
| 2022 | Justin Jefferson | Wide receiver | Minnesota Vikings |
| 2023 | Christian McCaffrey | Running back | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2024 | Saquon Barkley | Running back | Philadelphia Eagles |

## 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 |