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
Aaron Rodgers has won four awards, the most.
Six players – quarterbacks Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and running backs Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, and Marshall Faulk—have won the award twice; each save Sanders was a back-to-back honoree.
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
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 |
| 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 | |
| Tom Brady | QB | New England Patriots/Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 | 2008, 2018, 2021 |
See also
- National Football League Most Valuable Player Award
- NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award
- NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
- UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year
- UPI NFC Player of the Year
References
- ^ "Brees big winner at ESPYS". ESPN. July 15, 2010.
- ^ "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)