Rodgers wins fourth MVP award, one shy of Manning's record
The best players, performances and plays from the 2021 season were recognized at the NFL Honors on Thursday live from the SoFi Entertainment District in Los Angeles — the home of Super Bowl LVI.
The Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals both walked away with two awards, just three days before they meet in the Super Bowl.
Here are the highlights from Thursday's ceremony.
Most Valuable Player
Two veteran quarterbacks — Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers — were the frontrunners for this prestigious honor, but it was the Green Bay Packers QB who took home his fourth MVP.
With the win, Rodgers became the award's first back-to-back winner since Peyton Manning in 2008 and 2009. He's also one MVP shy of Manning's career record of five.
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth was named as this year's Walter Payton Man of the Year for his impact on and off the field this season.
Defensive Player of the Year
J.J. Watt handed out the first live award of the night to his brother T.J. Watt, who finished the 2021 season with 22.5 sacks. He is just the seventh Pittsburgh Steelers player to win the award, but first winner in over 10 years.
With his win, the Watt brothers become the first pair of brothers to both have won the award. J.J. has won the award three times in his career, which is tied with Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Donald for the most all-time.
Offensive Player of the Year
Rams star wide receiver Cooper Kupp took home the highly coveted honor, beating out Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
Kupp is the fourth player in Rams history to take home the offensive player of the year award, joining Todd Gurley (2017) and Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk (1999-01) and Eric Dickerson (1986).
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase took home the hardware for OROY. He is just the third Bengals player in franchise history to win the award, joining Carl Pickens (1992) and Eddie Brown (1985).
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Dallas Cowboys rookie linebacker Micah Parsons’ phenomenal rookie season was one for the record books, and he was the unanimous pick for DPOY.
During the 2021 regular season, Parsons became the first Cowboys rookie in franchise history to reach 10 sacks in his first season after surpassing DeMarcus Ware's record for the most sacks by a rookie in Cowboys history (eight sacks in 2005). Parsons is just the 13th linebacker in league history to post 10 sacks as a rookie.
Comeback Player of the Year
Bengals QB Joe Burrow was named Comeback Player of the Year after leading Cincinnati all the way to Super Bowl LVI just one year after a season-ending ACL tear wrecked the end of his rookie season in 2020.
He's the first Bengals player to ever win the award, narrowly beating out Dak Prescott by a vote of 28:21.
The 25-year-old will try to become the first quarterback to pull off a historic triple crown when his Bengals play the Rams on Sunday. With a win, Burrow would become the first quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, a national championship in college football (with LSU in 2020) and the Super Bowl.
Unstoppable Performance of the Year
Burrow also won for this year's best performance for his incredible 34-31 comeback win against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17.
Bridgestone Moment of the Year
Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker was awarded for the best play of the year for his record-breaking 66-yard game-winning field goal against the Detroit Lions.
Coach of the Year
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel won Coach of the Year award after leading his team to a 12-5 regular-season record and to the No. 1 seed in the AFC this season.
Vrabel recorded eight wins against teams with a winning record while using 91 different players this season, both NFL records.
Assistant Coach of the Year
America's Team snagged another award, as defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was named Assistant Coach of the Year.
Bud Light Celly of the Year
Miami Dolphins’ defensive lineman Christian Wilkins won for his worm celebration in Week 15, and rightly so.
NFL Fan of the Year
Fan of the Year, Atlanta Falcons superfan Henry Ison, hasn’t missed a home game in over half a century!
Salute to Service Award: Andrew Beck
Deacon Jones Award: T.J. Watt
Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award: Matthew Slater
FedEx Air Player of the Year: Tom Brady
FedEx Ground Player of the Year: Jonathan Taylor
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022
In addition to the aforementioned awards, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 was also announced.
They are: safety LeRoy Butler, defensive tackle/defensive end Bryant Young, linebacker Sam Mills, wide receiver Cliff Branch, defensive end/defensive tackle Richard Seymour, tackle Tony Boselli, coach Dick Vermeikl and official Art McNally.