Snoop Dogg is set to take center stage at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans for the primetime NFL Honors that recognizes the best of the season.
The ceremony features the announcement of The Associated Press’ annual awards, the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and the Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
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Arik Armstead is Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead has won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
The award is given out annually to recognize an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. The award was established in 1970 and was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame running back, Walter Payton. Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community.
MVP Allen vs. runner-up Jackson, by the numbers
Allen threw for 3,731 yards, 28 TDs and had six picks for a 101.4 passer rating. He ran for 531 yards and 12 scores, becoming the first player in NFL history to have five consecutive seasons with at least 40 total touchdowns.
Jackson had career-highs with 4,172 yards passing, 41 TDs to just four interceptions and a 119.6 passer rating, which led the NFL. He got 30 first-place votes to Allen’s 18 to earn AP first-team All-Pro honors.
The last time a first-team All-Pro didn’t win the NFL MVP award was 1987. John Elway was the MVP that season and Joe Montana was first-team All-Pro. The MVP award is given to a player who had the most valuable season while All-Pro is a statistical recognition.
Closest MVP results since 2016
Matt Ryan got 25 first-place votes and Tom Brady finished second with 10 while four other players combined for the remaining 15 votes in 2016. It was the last time the MVP winner received less than 55% of the first-place votes.
In 2005, Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander won with 19 first-place votes. Peyton Manning finished second with 13 and Brady had 10.
Manning and Steve McNair were co-MVPs in 2003, each receiving 16 first-place votes. Four other players combined for the other 18 votes.
Allen thanks family, Hailee, ‘Slick Rick’ in MVP speech
“Be good, do good, God bless, and go Bills.”
Allen thanked his family, his fiancée, Hailee Steinfeld, and all of the staff for the Bills, even mailroom worker “Slick Rick.”
Josh Allen wins AP NFL MVP
Josh Allen beat out two-time winner Lamar Jackson for the Most Valuable Player award in the closest race since Matt Ryan beat out Tom Brady in 2016.
Allen, who led Buffalo to a fifth straight AFC East title, got 27 first-place votes to Jackson’s 23 and finished with 383 points. He received 22 second-place votes and one third.
Jackson, who led the Ravens to a second straight AFC North championship, got 26 second-place votes and one fourth for a total of 362 points.
Barkley finished third (120 points) followed by Burrow (82) and Lions QB Jared Goff (47).
O’Connell gets half of 1st-place votes to win Coach of the Year
O’Connell got half of the first-place votes and added 18 second-place votes to win the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award.
See the full rundown from the voters.
Kevin O’Connell wins AP NFL Coach of the Year
Kevin O’Connell beat out Dan Campbell for Coach of the Year after leading the Minnesota Vikings to 14 wins with quarterback Sam Darnold.
The Vikings, widely picked to finish last in the NFC North, ended up playing for a division title and the conference’s No. 1 seed in the final game of the regular season. They lost to Campbell and the Lions and then were knocked out of the playoffs by the Rams.
O’Connell got 25 first-place votes, 18 seconds and seven thirds, appearing on all 50 ballots.
Campbell, who guided Detroit to a franchise-record 15 wins, got 19 first-place votes to finish second. Chiefs coach Andy Reid (4), Broncos coach Sean Payton (1) and Commanders coach Dan Quinn (1) also received first-place votes.
NFL Honors presenter, Ex-NFL player Gleason raises awareness for ALS
Former NFL player Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2011, had a busy day before arriving at New Orleans’ Saenger Theater to serve as a presenter at the NFL Honors awards show.
Earlier Thursday, Gleason hosted a golf scramble to raise money for his Team Gleason foundation, which aims to improve the lives of ALS patients.
Using a computer-activated voice designed to sound like he did when he could speak, Gleason lightened the mood when he told participating players, “I may have ALS, but some of you haven’t aged as well as me.”
“When I was diagnosed with ALS, I made a choice to live with purpose, to push boundaries and help others do the same,” added Gleason, whose mantra is “No White Flags.”
“That choice wasn’t just about me,” Gleason continued. “Because of people like you, we’re proving that there is no white flag, unless we’re talking about some of you surrendering on the front nine.”
Eli Manning falls short of Hall of Fame this year. Here’s who made it:
Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eric Allen and Sterling Sharpe were voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the smallest induction class in 20 years following offseason rule changes meant to make it harder to get inducted.
Sharpe got in as a seniors candidate and will join younger brother Shannon as the first siblings inducted into the Hall.
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning fell short and won’t join older brother Peyton in Canton, Ohio, this year.
Daniels wins NFL Moment of the Year
Daniels’ Hail Mary to Noah Brown was picked as the NFL’s Moment of the Year.
DROY Verse gets 37 of 50 first-place votes
Verse won the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award with 37 of 50 first-place votes.
Verse got 10 second-place votes, two third-place votes and one fifth-place vote.
See the full vote rundown.
Jared Verse wins AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
Jared Verse was an overwhelming choice for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Verse had 4 1/2 sacks and led all rookies in quarterback hits (18), pressures (77) and hurries (56). He also had 11 tackles for loss.
He got 37 first-place votes, well ahead of Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who received nine.
Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske, Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still, Texans safety Calen Bullock and Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil each got one apiece.
Burrow wins Comeback Player of the Year award with 31 first-place votes
Six players got first-place votes for the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
Burrow won the award with 31 first-place votes. Darnold had eight first-place votes.
▶ Here is how the voters voted.
Patrick Surtain II thanks parents for ‘setting the blueprint’
Surtain thanked his parents — his father, Patrick Surtain Sr., is a former NFL cornerback — for “setting the blueprint, and turning a young man into a grown man.”
He also thanked the Broncos, as Denver coach Sean Payton nodded in the audience, “for believing in me, trusting me, allowing me to grow and be the player I am today.”
Randy Moss honored during award announcement
Randy Moss sent a videotaped message of thanks as he fights cancer before he announced the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
Moss thanked doctors and fans for their support. The crowd cheered for Moss when a video montage of his career played during the show.
Moss said in December a cancerous mass was found in his bile duct, between his pancreas and liver. He said he had surgery to put a stent in his liver on Thanksgiving and then underwent a 6-hour procedure about a week ago to remove the cancer.
Barkley gets 35 of 50 first-place votes for Offensive Player of the Year
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley won AP Offensive Player of the Year, with 35 of the 50 first-place votes.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson got 12 first-place votes.
Three other players got one vote each. See the full list.
Joe Burrow wins AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year
Joe Burrow took the Comeback Player of the Year award after returning from wrist surgery in 2023 to lead the NFL with 4,918 yards passing and 43 touchdown passes.
Burrow played all 17 games for the Bengals (9-8) after missing seven due to injuries the previous season. He received 31 first-place votes and finished far ahead of J.K. Dobbins (3).
Sam Darnold (8), Damar Hamlin (3) and Christian Gonzalez (2) also got first-place votes.
Surtain among 8 players with votes for DPOY
Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II won the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award with 26 first-place votes.
Trey Hendrickson finished second with 11 first-place votes and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett had five.
See the five other players who got first place votes.
Saquon Barkley wins AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year
Saquon Barkley ran away with the Offensive Player of the Year award after rushing for 2,005 yards, eighth-best in NFL history, in his first season with the Eagles.
Barkley sat out Philadelphia’s final regular-season game when he was 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record, but he has 442 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the playoffs. He needs 30 yards rushing in the Super Bowl to set the all-time single-season record, including the playoffs.
Barkley received 35 of 50 first-place votes. Lamar Jackson received 12 first-place votes and teammate Derrick Henry got one. Joe Burrow and Josh Allen also received one first-place vote each.
Ja’Marr Chase finished third in the voting despite no first-place votes.
Jayden Daniels gets all but one 1st-place vote for Offensive Rookie of the Year
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels got 49 out of 50 first-place votes to win the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Sam Monson, of the 33rd team, voted for Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.
See the full list on who the voters chose for second through fifth place.
Patrick Surtain II wins AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Surtain became the seventh cornerback to win Defensive Player of the Year.
The Denver Broncos’ All-Pro allowed just 37 receptions, had four interceptions and opposing quarterbacks had a 61.1 passer rating throwing against him.
Surtain received 26 first-place votes, beating out Hendrickson (11) and Garrett (5).
Watt (3), Baun (2), Joseph (1) and Van Ginkel (1) and Greenard (1) also received first-place votes.
Stephon Gilmore was the last cornerback to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Jayden Daniels wins AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
Daniels was a near-unanimous choice for Offensive Rookie of the Year after helping the Washington Commanders win 12 games.
The Pro Bowl quarterback received 49 of 50 first-place votes with the other going to Bowers.
Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick, threw for 3,568 yards, 25 TDs and posted a 100.1 rating. He also ran for 891 yards and six scores. Daniels led the Commanders to a pair of road playoff wins before losing to the Eagles in the NFC championship game.
Nix finished third in the voting, Thomas was fourth and Nabers placed fifth.
Ben Johnson wins AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year
Johnson was a clear choice for Assistant Coach of the Year, receiving 29 first-place votes.
Johnson, who was the Lions offensive coordinator, led a group that was first in scoring (33.22 points per game) and second in yards (409.5). He was hired to coach the Chicago Bears after Detroit lost in the playoffs.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores got three first-place votes and finished second in the voting. Former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who was hired to coach the New York Jets, received six first-place votes and came in third.
Eagles DC Vic Fangio (3), Bills OC Joe Brady (2), former Buccaneers OC Liam Coen (2), Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo (2), Ravens OC Todd Monken (1), Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury (1) and Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland (1) also received first-place votes.
Winston is having a blast at Super Bowl week events
Winston was a media darling on opening night, throwing “W” cookies in honor of his Eat the “W” catchphrase. He was again on the red carpet interviewing players and celebrities.
Meanwhile, TV star Terry Crews breezed past reporters on his way to the show.
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy gave a “Fly, Eagles, Fly” on the red carpet. He said the Giants letting Barkley walk in free agency was surely fuel for this season. Barkley ran for 2,005 yards and broke McCoy’s franchise record for yards rushing in a season.
Lights, camera, action! NFL Honors red carpet is underway
The red carpet is open.
New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton and Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston were among the first players to style and profile on the carpet. Slayton wore a pair of Giants sneakers while Winston wore a red cheetah print velvet jacket.
Comeback Player of the Year finalists
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Bills safety Damar Hamlin are the finalists.
NFL MVP finalists
Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson are finalists for The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award.
Barkley is the only non-QB of the bunch after running for 2,005 yards, eighth-best for a single season in NFL history.
Jackson, the reigning winner, is seeking his third MVP award after leading the Ravens to an AFC North title.
What awards are being announced at NFL Honors?
There will be eight AP awards presented, including Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began.
How to watch the NFL Honors show
The NFL Honors awards show will air on Fox and NFL Network at 9 p.m. EST Thursday night. It’s also available on streaming at NFL+.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
The Associated Press
