NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award

The National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award refers to a number of awards that are given to a National Football League (NFL) player who overcomes adversity to return to remarkable performance, in the form of not being in the NFL the previous year, a severe injury, or simply poor performance. The awards have been presented by several organizations, including the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), Sporting News, and United Press International (UPI). As of the 2022 season, Chad Pennington has been the only recipient of the award to have won the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award in multiple seasons.

AP Comeback Player of the Year award (1963–1966, 1998–present)
From 1963 to 1966, the award was given to both an NFL and AFL player. No award was given between 1966 and 1998. In recent years, reigning award recipients Andrew Luck and Alex Smith have retired before the upcoming season.

PFW/PFWA Comeback Player of the Year award (1972–present)
From 1972 to 1991, the Comeback Player of the Year award was presented by Pro Football Weekly (PFW) only. PFW and the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) combined their awards from 1992 to 2012.

UPI Comeback Player of the Year award (1962–1969)
In 1962, United Press International (UPI) chose a comeback player for the first time. The winner, Frank Gifford, had made a comeback from a devastating injury from a hit by Chuck Bednarik. The following year, the Associated Press (AP) established a similar award. UPI discontinued the award after 1963, with the exception of 1969. The AP did not give out the award from 1967 to 1998, when the award was reinstituted and given to Doug Flutie.


 * 1962 Frank Gifford, WR, New York Giants
 * 1963 Ed Brown, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
 * 1964–1968 No award given
 * 1969 Gale Sayers, RB, Chicago Bears

Sporting News NFL Comeback Player of the Year award

 * 2008 — Antonio Bryant, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * 2009 — Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans
 * 2010 — Michael Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
 * 2011 — Plaxico Burress, WR, New York Jets
 * 2012 — Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings
 * 2013 — Darrelle Revis, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * 2014 — Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
 * 2015 — Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals
 * 2016 — Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers
 * 2017 — Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
 * 2018 — Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts
 * 2019 — Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers
 * 2020 — Alex Smith, QB, Washington Football Team
 * 2021 — Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
 * 2022 — Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks
 * 2023 — Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins