Getty Images: Steph Chambers / Staff

"I Still Got It Baby": NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award Winners

The Comeback Player of the Year Award is given to a deserving player who overcame adversity in the form of not being in the NFL the previous year, experienced a severe injury, or simply improved upon an inferior performance the previous year. For many of these players, pundits considered them 'washed up' but they were proven wrong. Let's see if you can identify these players who surprisingly 'came back'!

By Dave Morrissey Issue with this quiz?

Dave Morrissey

Dave is an accomplished economics instructor with over two decades of experience in the prestigious International Baccalaureate program. His students have consistently ranked in the top 10% annually, and one year they achieved the highest overall class average in the world. This outstanding achievement led a UK publisher to request that he write a textbook, an offer he declined in favor of creating sports quizzes, which he found more engaging.

In addition to his teaching career, Dave is also a former high school football coach, having won a couple of local championships. While he wishes he had won more, he continues to be deeply involved in football as a scout, recruiter, and social media creator for a university football team.

Dave's passions extend beyond the classroom and football field. He is an avid fan of live music and international travel, often combining these interests. He has traveled to Spain, England, Iceland, and Chile to see bands perform. His greatest pride and joy is his daughter, who has recently excelled in powerlifting. In just a few years, she has become the Canadian record holder for the bench press in her weight class and finished second overall in the combined national event (bench, deadlift, and squat) in Moose Jaw in March 2024. She will be representing Canada at the World Bench Competition in Austin, Texas, in May 2024.

A die-hard fan of the Las Vegas Raiders, Dave has experienced his share of sports heartache, having seen them play in seven NFL cities with six losses. His all-time favorite athlete is Don Mattingly, reflecting his deep love for sports that spans many arenas.

"I Still Got It Baby": NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award Winners

What former Jets QB played & starred elsewhere in 2023 and set a team record for passing yards in a season?

What former Broncos QB won the award in 2012?

What former Bengals QB won the award in 2003?

Wide Receiver Keenan Allen won the award in 2017. What team did he play for?

What former Texas A&M QB won the award in 2019?

What former New England Patriot shared the award with another player in 2005?

What QB won the award in 2006 AND 2008?

What multi-time Super Bowl winner with New England won the award in 2014?

What former 49ers running back won the award in 2001 after coming back from a major knee injury?

What former Chargers QB won the award in 2013?

What recently retired future Hall of Famer won the award in 2009 after missing almost all of the previous year?

What former Steelers QB won the award in 2002?

In addition to playing great, why did Joe Burrow win the award in 2021?

No award was given out between 1967 and _______.

Joe Johnson of New Orleans and Bryant Young of the 49ers won the award in 2000 and 1999. What position did they play?

What Buffalo Bills QB won the award in 1998?

What former Chargers QB won the award in 2004?

Wide Receiver Jordy Nelson won the award in 2016. What team did he play for?

Dallas' Greg Ellis won the ward in 2007. What position did he play?

What former Carolina Panther shared the award with another player in 2005?

What often-injured QB won the award in 2018 but retired soon after that?

What NFL QB won the award in 2020 after coming back from a leg injury that almost resulted in amputation?

What former Lions QB won the award in 2011?

Kansas City's Eric Berry won the award in 2015. What position did he play?

What former Eagles QB won the award in 2010?

More Sports Content We Think You'll Love

Dave Morrissey