Associated Press clarifies NFL Comeback Player of the Year criteria

The Associated Press issued a clarification regarding the criteria for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award on Tuesday.

While most NFL awards have self-explanatory criteria, Comeback Player of the Year has been in a bit of a gray area over the past few seasons. That’s led to some confusing results.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco capturing the 2023 award over Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is a prime example.

Flacco signed with the Browns in late November and the 38-year-old led Cleveland to the postseason behind a 4-1 record down the stretch. While that’s undoubtedly impressive, Hamlin returned from an on-field cardiac arrest in the 2022 regular-season finale between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals to play five games for Buffalo in the 2023 season.

“The spirit of the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award is to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury, or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season,” AP senior NFL writer Rob Maaddi, who oversees All-Pro and NFL awards voting, said via Pro Football Talk on Tuesday.

In short, the AP is looking to avoid the award going to a player who followed up a bad year with a good year, unless in the case of injury or illness.

Similarly, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith won the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year Award, despite the only change going from being a backup to Russell Wilson in 2021 to the Seahawks’ starter in 2022 after Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos. Christian McCaffrey, on the other hand, came back from an ankle injury that cost him half of the 2021 season to record 1,880 yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns.

We’ll see how these changes impact the award moving forward and if it solves the concerns some people have had.

[Pro Football Talk]