2024 NFL Honors – Who won the league’s biggest awards?،
Before the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers meet at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS), the NFL's best gathered at Resorts World Theater for Thursday's NFL Honors.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won his second MVP award after winning it in 2019. San Francisco star running back Christian McCaffrey won offensive player of the year . Houston Texans rookie quarterback CJ Stroud won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett won his first Defensive Player of the Year award. Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. won Defensive Rookie of the Year. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was voted coach of the year for the second time. And Cleveland quarterback Joe Flacco was named Comeback Player of the Year.
Here's a look at who won these awards and why:
MVP
Lamar Jackson | QB | Baltimore Ravens
There were no surprises for the NFL's biggest individual award: Jackson was named MVP after being the betting favorite over the past six weeks.
Jackson joined a select group in winning the NFL's Most Valuable Player award for the second time. He became the fifth player to win multiple MVP awards in his first six seasons in the league. The others were Jim Brown, Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Patrick Mahomes.
In leading the Ravens to a 13-4 NFL record, Jackson ranked in the top 10 this season in total QBR (64.7), yards per pass attempt (8.0) and touchdown/interception ratio (3.4). He also led the NFL in yards per carry (5.5) – not just among quarterbacks.
Continuing to be the best dual threat in the NFL, he totaled 3,678 passing yards and 821 rushing yards. He is the only player to produce over 3,000 passes and 800 runs multiple times, winning MVP in both seasons he accomplished this feat (2019-20 and 2023-24).
Jackson overtook San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy as the MVP favorite on Christmas when he guided Baltimore to a 33-19 victory in San Francisco. He then essentially won the award a week later in a 56-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins, when he recorded a perfect passer rating (158.3) and threw five touchdown passes.
— Jamie Hensley
Offensive Player of the Year
Christian McCaffrey | RB | San Francisco 49ers
In his first full season with the Niners, McCaffrey had one of the most productive seasons in franchise and league history. He led the NFL in scrimmage yards per game (126.4), scrimmage touchdowns (21), rushing yards (1,459), first downs (114) and runs of 10+ yards ( 44) while playing 16 matches.
Those numbers were enough to earn McCaffrey a Pro Bowl berth and first-team AP All Pro honors, as he also added his name to the NFL record books. McCaffrey increased his career total in games with a rushing and receiving score in the same game to 15, tied with Marshall Faulk for the most in league history, and became the third player in the He has had the NFL's history of posting more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a season for two. different franchises.
“Everyone has these gym rats who work so hard. … We have a guy like that, who is also one of the most talented people in the league,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said. — Nick Waggoner
Defensive Player of the Year
Myles Garrett | FROM | Cleveland Browns
After several years of fighting for this award, Garrett finally overcame the obstacle to win his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
He ranked seventh with 14 sacks. But Garrett also spearheaded the NFL's best defense during the regular season. The Browns led the league in defensive efficiency, yards per game allowed (267) and three-and-out rate (32.9%), among several other categories. Garrett also finished second in pass win rate (30.5%) despite having the third-highest double-team rate (28.8%).
The Browns won four in a row at the end of the year, culminating with a decisive playoff victory over the Jets on December 28. During that stretch, Garrett had 35 assists; only one other Edge Rusher had more than 20 (Pittsburgh's TJ Watt had 26).
“I know there's a lot of focus on the number of layoffs,” said chief executive Andrew Berry. “That doesn't really tell the whole story. … He played at a very high level for us down the stretch.” — Jake Trotter
Offensive Rookie of the Year
CJ Stroud | QB | Houston Texans
Stroud earned this award thanks to the countless rookie records he tied or set. The former Ohio State star led the Texans to their first division title since 2019 and was the first quarterback drafted in the top two of the draft since 1967 to win a playoff game in his rookie season. The victory also made him the youngest person to win a playoff competition, surpassing Michael Vick.
Stroud set the record for most pass attempts without an interception to start a career (191). He carried that momentum and also led the league in touchdown-to-interception ratio (23:5).
He finished the regular season with 4,108 passing yards, third most for a rookie behind Andrew Luck (4,374 in 2012) and Justin Herbert (4,336 in 2020). His highest passing grade came in Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he threw for 470 yards, the most ever by a rookie. — DJ Beloved
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Will Anderson Jr. | FROM | Houston Texans
When Anderson arrived at the Texans, he wanted to set a standard that rookies were there to “change the culture.” He immediately made an impact when he recorded a sack of Jackson in week one.
The number of layoffs slowed, but it was still at the top of the advanced measures. The No. 3 pick ranked third in win rate (25.8%). He also made an impact in the running game as he was sixth in stop win rate (36%) among defensive ends with at least 400 snaps.
He finished the season with 7 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 22 QB hits despite an ankle injury that caused him to miss two games. — DJ Beloved
Coach of the Year
Kevin Stefanski | Cleveland Browns
The Browns have only made the playoffs three times since returning to the NFL in 1999. Two of those were with Stefanski as head coach, and in both cases (including 2020), he was named coach of the year.
Stefanski guided Cleveland through an eventful regular season to an 11-6 record. The Browns suffered season-ending injuries to many key players, including quarterback Deshaun Watson (shoulder) and running back Nick Chubb (knee).
Cleveland also became the first team since 1987 to start five different quarterbacks in a season. Yet the Browns set a franchise record with a game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation five times.
“It starts with Kevin,” general manager Berry said. “The way he was able to lead and manage challenges through adversity this year was absolutely phenomenal. … I know our organization is in very good hands now and for the foreseeable future with him.” — Jake Trotter
Comeback Player of the Year
Joe Flacco | QB | Cleveland Browns
Flacco went unsigned during the offseason, preseason and half of the regular season. But the 39-year-old former Super Bowl MVP finally got his chance after Watson's season-ending shoulder injury.
Flacco signed with Cleveland on November 20. Two weeks later, he earned his first start with the Browns and became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 250 yards and multiple touchdowns in his first five games with a new team. In those five starts, Flacco also led the NFL with 1,616 passing yards.
With Flacco behind center, Cleveland won four straight games to clinch its first playoff appearance since 2020.
“I was so lucky to be a part of this team,” he said after Cleveland's 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans in the first round of the playoffs. “To have a chance to do this with these guys, I’m very grateful.” — Jake Trotter
