Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award (OPOY) is given annually 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. The award is currently held by running back Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers, who received it for the 2023 NFL season after being just the third player in NFL history to post more than 2000 scrimmage yards in a season for two different franchises.
Christian McCaffrey, the most recent recipient | |
| Awarded for | Offensive player of the year in the National Football League |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Associated Press |
| History | |
| First award | 1972 |
| Most wins | Earl Campbell, Marshall Faulk (3 each) |
| Most recent | Christian McCaffrey |
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 49 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).