Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award

The Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year 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, 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. The winner is selected by a nationwide panel of media personnel. Since 2011, the award has been presented at the NFL Honors ceremony held the day before the Super Bowl.

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. The AP did not give the award again until the 1998 season. The only player to receive the award more than once, after the AFL–NFL merger, is quarterback Chad Pennington, who received it in 2006 with the New York Jets and in 2008 with the Miami Dolphins.