Comeback Player of the Year
| Year | Recipient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 Miami Dolphins | Earl Morrall | |
| 1973 Philadelphia Eagles | Roman Gabriel | |
| 1974 New York Jets | Joe Namath | |
| 1975 Atlanta Falcons | Dave Hampton | |
| 1976 Detroit Lions | Greg Landry | |
| 1977 Denver Broncos | Craig Morton | |
| 1978 Washington Redskins | John Riggins | |
| 1979 Miami Dolphins | Larry Csonka | |
| 1980 Oakland Raiders | Jim Plunkett | |
| 1981 Cincinnati Bengals | Ken Anderson | |
| 1982 Los Angeles Raiders | Lyle Alzado | |
| 1983 Atlanta Falcons | Billy Johnson | |
| 1984 Pittsburgh Steelers | John Stallworth | |
| 1986 Minnesota Vikings | Tommy Kramer | |
| 1986 San Francisco 49ers | Joe Montana | |
| 1987 Los Angeles Rams | Charles White | |
| 1988 Los Angeles Rams | Greg Bell | |
| 1989 New York Giants | Ottis Anderson | |
| 1990 Kansas City Chiefs | Barry Word | |
| 1991 Philadelphia Eagles | Jim McMahon | |
| 1992 Philadelphia Eagles | Randall Cunningham | |
| 1993 Kansas City Chiefs | Marcus Allen | |
| 1994 Miami Dolphins | Dan Marino | |
| 1995 Indianapolis Colts | Jim Harbaugh | |
| 1995 Arizona Cardinals | Garrison Hearst | |
| 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers | Jerome Bettis | |
| 1997 Green Bay Packers | Robert Brooks | |
| 1998 Buffalo Bills | Doug Flutie | |
| 1999 San Francisco 49ers | Bryant Young | |
| 2000 New Orleans Saints | Joe Johnson | |
| 2001 San Francisco 49ers | Garrison Hearst | |
| 2002 Pittsburgh Steelers | Tommy Maddox | |
| 2003 Cincinnati Bengals | Jon Kitna | |
| 2004 San Diego Chargers | Drew Brees | |
| 2005 New England Patriots | Tedy Bruschi | |
| 2005 Carolina Panthers | Steve Smith | |
| 2006 New York Jets | Chad Pennington | |
| 2007 Dallas Cowboys | Greg Ellis | |
| 2008 Miami Dolphins | Chad Pennington | Pennington is the only two-time winner of the award. |
| 2009 New England Patriots | Tom Brady | |
| 2010 Philadelphia Eagles | Michael Vick | |
| 2011 Detroit Lions | Matthew Stafford | |
| 2012 Denver Broncos | Peyton Manning | Manning was named comeback player of the year after missing all of 2011 due to a back injury. Manning returned to form with his new team, the Denver Broncos, as he threw for 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns. |
| 2013 San Diego Chargers | Philip Rivers | |
| 2014 New England Patriots | Rob Gronkowski | Gronkowski won the 2014 Comeback Player of the Year after an injury riddled 2013 where he had back surgery and tore his ACL late in the season. Gronkowski returned to form with an unanimous All-Pro nomination in 2014. |
| 2015 Kansas City Chiefs | Eric Berry | Eric Berry received the award after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma late in 2014. Berry was named to the Pro Bowl after the 2015 season. |
| 2016 Green Bay Packers | Jordy Nelson | Nelson won the after after missing the entire 2015 season with a torn ACL. Nelson had 97 receptions for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns. |
| 2017 Los Angeles Chargers | Keenan Allen | |
| 2018 Indianapolis Colts | Andrew Luck | |
| 2019 Tennessee Titans | Ryan Tannehill | |
| 2020 Washington Football Team | Alex Smith | |
| 2021 Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Burrow | |
| 2022 Seattle Seahawks | Geno Smith | |
| 2023 Cleveland Browns | Joe Flacco |