Burrow was named AP Comeback Player of the Year for a second time in his five-year career, this time after coming back from 2023 season-ending wrist surgery to lead the league in passing yards and touchdowns. He also was up for Offensive Player of the Year, along with receiving triple crown winner Ja’Marr Chase, but that AP award went to Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.
Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson also was up for Defensive Player of the Year, but that was awarded to Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain. Hendrickson, a four-time Pro Bowler, led the league with 17.5 sacks and was recognized for that, though the main awards presented were vote-based.
Burrow said in December he would be honored to win the Comeback Player of the Year award, even though it’s not an experience he wanted to go through again after returning from a torn ACL suffered his rookie season to lead the Bengals in 2021 to the Super Bowl.
He repeated a similar line in his acceptance speech on stage Thursday, while acknowledging the hard work it took to bounce back from such a serious injury once again.
There was plenty of uncertainty going into this season because of the rarity of his particular ligament surgery among quarterbacks. However, Burrow overcame a slow start for the team and produced 4,918 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns, while keeping the Bengals in the hunt for a playoff spot that ultimately eluded them.
His performance earned him a spot as a finalist in the NFL MVP voting despite the Bengals not making the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Burrow said last month he will win an MVP award some day, but he didn’t expect to accomplish that this year because normally it takes being on a playoff team to achieve the highest honor.
The MVP winner has not yet been announced.
Burrow beat out Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins, New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin for the Comeback Player of the Year award.
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