Best NFL Player ESPY Award

The Best NFL Player ESPY Award has been presented annually since 1993 to the National Football League player adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year, namely in the NFL season immediately precedent to the holding of the ESPY Awards ceremony.

Between 1993 and 2004, the award voting panel comprised variously fans; sportswriters and broadcasters, sports executives, and retired sportspersons, termed collectively experts; but balloting thereafter has been exclusively by fans over the Internet from amongst choices selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee.

Through the 2001 iteration of the ESPY Awards, ceremonies were conducted in February of each year to honor achievements over the previous calendar year; awards presented thereafter are conferred in June and reflect performance from the June previous.

In 2014, Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos became the first 3-time winner breaking a tie with Barry Sanders, Brett Favre, Marshall Faulk. Aaron Rodgers would later surpass him in 2017 when he won his fourth. The award wasn't awarded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winners

  Player was a member of the winning team in the Super Bowl.
  Player was a member of the losing team in the Super Bowl.
* NFL MVP
Super Bowl MVP

Year Player Team represented Position played
1993 Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys Running back
1994 Emmitt Smith (2)*† Dallas Cowboys Running back
1995 Barry Sanders Detroit Lions Running back
1996 Brett Favre* Green Bay Packers Quarterback
1997 Brett Favre (2)* Green Bay Packers Quarterback
1998 Barry Sanders (2)* Detroit Lions Running back
1999 Terrell Davis* Denver Broncos Running back
2000 Kurt Warner*† St. Louis Rams Quarterback
2001 Marshall Faulk* St. Louis Rams Running back
2002 Marshall Faulk (2) St. Louis Rams Running back
2003 Michael Vick Atlanta Falcons Quarterback
2004 Peyton Manning* Indianapolis Colts Quarterback
2005 Peyton Manning (2)* Indianapolis Colts Quarterback
2006 Shaun Alexander* Seattle Seahawks Running back
2007 LaDainian Tomlinson* San Diego Chargers Running back
2008 Tom Brady* New England Patriots Quarterback
2009 Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Cardinals Wide receiver
2010 Drew Brees[1] New Orleans Saints Quarterback
2011 Aaron Rodgers[2] Green Bay Packers Quarterback
2012 Aaron Rodgers (2)* Green Bay Packers Quarterback
2013 Adrian Peterson* Minnesota Vikings Running back
2014 Peyton Manning (3)* Denver Broncos Quarterback
2015 Aaron Rodgers (3)* Green Bay Packers Quarterback
2016 Cam Newton* Carolina Panthers Quarterback
2017 Aaron Rodgers (4) Green Bay Packers Quarterback
2018 Tom Brady (2)* New England Patriots Quarterback
2019 Patrick Mahomes* Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback
2020 Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Tom Brady (3)† Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback
2022 Cooper Kupp Los Angeles Rams Wide receiver
2023 Patrick Mahomes (2)*† Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback

Multiple-time winners

Ranking Player Position Team Number of Awards Years
1 Aaron Rodgers QB Green Bay Packers 4 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017
2 Peyton Manning QB Indianapolis Colts/Denver Broncos 3 2004, 2005, 2014
Tom Brady QB New England Patriots/Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 2008, 2018, 2021
3 Emmitt Smith RB Dallas Cowboys 2 1993, 1994
Brett Favre QB Green Bay Packers 2 1996, 1997
Barry Sanders RB Detroit Lions 2 1995, 1998
Marshall Faulk RB St. Louis Rams 2 2001, 2002
Patrick Mahomes QB Kansas City Chiefs 2 2019, 2023

See also

References

  1. ^ "Brees big winner at ESPYS". ESPN. July 15, 2010.
  2. ^ "Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki win at ESPYs". ESPN. July 13, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  • Enumeration of past winners from HickokSports.com at the Library of Congress Web Archives (archived 2002-02-23)
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