The winner of the Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY) Award is announced at the annual NFL Honors ceremony before the Super Bowl and stands as one of the most respected accolades an offensive player can earn in the league.
Full List of NFL Offensive Player of the Year Winners
The Offensive Player of the Year Award has been presented by the NFL since 1972, when Washington running back Larry Brown became the inaugural winner. Since that point, the award has largely been dominated by running backs and quarterbacks.
All OPOY winners have come from skill positions, with offensive linemen yet to receive recognition from voters. That trend highlights how heavily the award leans on measurable production, even though standout offensive line play can be crucial to a team’s overall success.
Running backs have been the most dominant position group, claiming the award 27 times since 1972. Earl Campbell (1978–80) and Marshall Faulk (1999–2001) each won the award three times in a row. Quarterbacks rank second with 20 total OPOY wins.
No tight end has ever won the award, but as the position continues to grow in importance within modern offenses, that could change soon — especially with elite players like Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and Sam LaPorta dominating in the league.
The complete list of the Offensive Player of the Year award winners is:
- 1972 – Larry Brown, RB, Washington Redskins
- 1973 – O. J. Simpson, RB, Buffalo Bills
- 1974 – Ken Stabler, QB, Oakland Raiders
- 1975 – Fran Tarkenton, QB, Minnesota Vikings
- 1976 – Bert Jones, QB, Baltimore Colts
- 1977 – Walter Payton, RB, Chicago Bears
- 1978 – Earl Campbell, RB, Houston Oilers
- 1979 – Earl Campbell, RB, Houston Oilers
- 1980 – Earl Campbell, RB, Houston Oilers
- 1981 – Ken Anderson, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
- 1982 – Dan Fouts, QB, San Diego Chargers
- 1983 – Joe Theismann, QB, Washington Redskins
- 1984 – Dan Marino, QB, Miami Dolphins
- 1985 – Marcus Allen, RB, Los Angeles Raiders
- 1986 – Eric Dickerson, RB, Los Angeles Rams
- 1987 – Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco 49ers
- 1988 – Roger Craig, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- 1989 – Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 49ers
- 1990 – Warren Moon, QB, Houston Oilers
- 1991 – Thurman Thomas, RB, Buffalo Bills
- 1992 – Steve Young, QB, San Francisco 49ers
- 1993 – Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco 49ers
- 1994 – Barry Sanders, RB, Detroit Lions
- 1995 – Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay Packers
- 1996 – Terrell Davis, RB, Denver Broncos
- 1997 – Barry Sanders, RB, Detroit Lions
- 1998 – Terrell Davis, RB, Denver Broncos
- 1999 – Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis Rams
- 2000 – Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis Rams
- 2001 – Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis Rams
- 2002 – Priest Holmes, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
- 2003 – Jamal Lewis, RB, Baltimore Ravens
- 2004 – Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts
- 2005 – Shaun Alexander, RB, Seattle Seahawks
- 2006 – LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego Chargers
- 2007 – Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
- 2008 – Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
- 2009 – Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans
- 2010 – Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
- 2011 – Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
- 2012 – Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings
- 2013 – Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos
- 2014 – DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas Cowboys
- 2015 – Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers
- 2016 – Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons
- 2017 – Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams
- 2018 – Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
- 2019 – Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
- 2020 – Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
- 2021 – Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
- 2022 – Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
- 2023 – Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
- 2024 – Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
