When any athlete enters the professional National Football League (NFL), he has walked into a select group of individuals whose aim and focus is to put their best foot forward and help the team achieve greatness. In a team sport such as American Football, contributions from every member matter irrespective of the position they play. However, it is important to note that a few players will always be on an elite level and their individual brilliance throughout the course of the season will guide their respective teams as far as possible.
Taking into consideration the positions on the offensive side of the ball, in today’s game, we typically have the offensive line, the quarterback, the tight end, the wide receivers, and the running back. If a player is playing the role of a tight end or is a member of the O-line, then the unfortunate fact is that none of these players have ever won the Offensive Player of the Year award. While each member of the offense gives his best for the team, it’s just that some of the other positions are much more important to the game and are also the ones putting up huge statistical numbers.
Having said that, even the wide receivers have not fared too well in this category. Looking at the overall list of players who have won this award since its inception in 1972, only four receivers can boast of winning it. In that sense, this award has been completely dominated by the quarterbacks who have won 20 times and the running backs with 26 wins.
The Offensive Player of the Year award is given by three distinct organizations. This award was started in 1972 by the Associated Press (AP) and is the one which the NFL’s honors ceremony recognizes. The other two organizations to hand out the award are Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) and Sporting News (SN).
List of AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year 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 | 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 | 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 |
FAQs
A. Only four wide receivers which include Jerry Rice, Michael Thomas, Cooper Kupp, and Justin Jefferson have won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.
A. Marshall Faulk and Earl Campbell both have won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards a record three times.
A. Generally, players are awarded this award for record-breaking or near-record-breaking performances on the offense.
A. The running back position has won the most NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards.
A. Running Back Christian MCaffrey is the current holder of the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.
