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Awards of the 2021 – 2022 Regular Season of the National Football League
Introduction
On Thursday, February 10th, 2022 the National Football League held their annual awards and honors ceremony for the 2021 – 2022 NFL regular season. Below are all of the results from the voting for the NFL’s major regular season awards for the past season of the National Football League.
Most Valuable Player Award (MVP)
The Most Valuable Player Award for the 2021 – 2022 regular season of the National Football League was presented once again to Aaron Rodgers, the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers had an unbelievable year especially considering all of the off the field issues that took play the previous NFL offseason between Aaron and the Green Bay Packers coaching staff and front office.
Rodgers has now won the NFL MVP an amazing 4 – times, and only the legendary Peyton Manning has taken home more Most Valuable Player Awards in the National Football League with 5 – MVP Awards. Aaron was just the 5th player ever in the rich history of the NFL to win back – to - back or consecutive NFL MVP Awards. The other outstanding players to do that were Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Brett Favre, and Jim Brown.
"They're all different. The first one was really, really special because we came off winning the Super Bowl and I had my best season to date that next year. It seemed like we were a juggernaut chugging along and going to win another one. That obviously didn't happen. The divisional round disappointment. But they've all been unique in their own ways. I think the latest one always feels the sweetest. It's been an amazing 17 years. So thankful for the memories and the moments over the years," Aaron Rodgers explained following winning his 4th – NFL MVP Award on Thursday, February 10th, 2022.
Aaron Rodgers’ Football Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards
- Super Bowl XLV Champion
- Super Bowl XLV MVP
- 4 - Time NFL Most Valuable Player Award (2011, 2014, 2020, 2021)
- 4 - Time NFL First - Team All - Pro (2011, 2014, 2020, 2021)
- NFL Second - Team All - Pro (2012)
- 10 - Time NFL Pro Bowl Selection (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- 4 - Time NFL Passer Rating Leader (2011, 2012, 2020, 2021)
- 2 - Time NFL Passing Touchdowns Leader (2016, 2020)
- NFL Completion Percentage Leader (2020)
- NFL 2010’s All - Decade Team
- Bart Starr Award (2014)
- Associated Press Athlete of the Year (2011)
- Bert Bell Award (2011)
NFL Records for Aaron Rodgers
- 122.5 Passer Rating in a Single Season (2011)
- 0.3 %, Lowest Interception Percentage in a Single Season (2018)
- 402 Consecutive Passes without an Interception
- Fastest NFL Quarterback to 400 Career Passing Touchdowns (193 games)
- Lowest Career Interceptions Percentage (1.3 %)
- Best Career Touchdown to Interception Ratio (4.83)
Defensive Player of the Year Award
The outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, T. J. Watt, won this season’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, and the voting wasn’t even close as Watt won this honor by a landslide. T. J.’s older brother J. J. Watt currently of the Arizona Cardinals has won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award on three separate occasions.
During the 2021 – 2022 NFL season T. J. racked up an insane 22.5 sacks which ties Michael Strahan’s single season sack record., and Watt was also forced to miss 2 – entire football games for the Pittsburgh Steelers this past season of the National Football League due to injury. The Pittsburgh Steelers deservingly made T. J. Watt the NFL’s highest paid defensive player at the beginning of the 2021 – 2022 NFL season.
"To be able to be recognized as the best defensive player in the year is definitely something that I strive to be. I'm not huge on individual goals, but it's tough for me not to want that when I saw my brother at the height of his career win the award three times. And I always just thought to myself, why can't I do that? I'm just so motivated. I'm very honored to receive this award and to be voted when there's so many successful and great players in the National Football League. And I don't think it's fully hit me quite yet," T. J. Watt revealed after winning his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.
T. J. Watt’s Football Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards
- NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2021)
- 3 - Time NFL First - Team All - Pro (2019, 2020, 2021)
- NFL Second - Team All - Pro (2019)
- 4 - Time NFL Pro Bowl Selection (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- 2 - Time Deacon Jones Award (2020, 2021)
- NFL Forced Fumbles Co - Leader (2019)
- Dick Butkus Award (2020)
- PFWA All - Rookie Team (2017)
- First - Team All - Big Ten (2016)
- Second - Team All - American (2016)
Offensive Player of the Year Award
The Los Angeles Rams number 1 wide receiver, Cooper Kupp, took home the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award for having one of the best single seasons in the history of the National Football League.
Kupp became just the 4th – player during the Super Bowl era to win the NFL triple crown of receiving in which Cooper led the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. The other 3 wide outs to accomplish that extremely difficult feat were Jerry Rice in 1990, Steve Smith Sr. in 2005, and Sterling Sharpe in 1992. Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts was the runner up for the OPOY Award for the 2021 – 2022 NFL season.
Cooper Kupp’s Football Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards
- NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2021)
- NFL First - Team All - Pro (2021)
- NFL Pro Bowl Selection (2021)
- NFL Receptions Leader (2021)
- NFL Receiving Yards Leader (2021)
- NFL Receiving Touchdowns Leader (2021)
- PFWA All - Rookie Team (2017)
- Walter Payton Award (2015)
- 2 - Time Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016)
- 4 - Time First - Team FCS All - American (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
- Jerry Rice Award (2013)
Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
In his first NFL season coming in hard from Penn State University, Micah Parsons, of the Dallas Cowboys showed us all why the Dallas Cowboys selected him with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Parsons was the unanimous winner of the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award as Micah earned all 50 of the votes for this great honor.
Parsons was equivalently successful as both an off - of - the - ball linebacker as well as a pass - rusher. Micah set the Dallas Cowboys' rookie single season record with his 13 – sacks. He managed to also record 64 - tackles, 12 - tackles for a loss, 42 - quarterback pressures, 3 - forced fumbles, and 3 - pass deflections all were attributed to Parson’s earning his first of possibly many trips to the NFL Pro Bowl.
Micah Parsons’ Football Career Achievements, Honors, & Award
- NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2021)
- NFL First - Team All - Pro (2021)
- NFL Pro Bowl Selection (2021)
- PFWA All - Rookie Team (2021)
- Dick Butkus Award (2021)
- Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP (2019)
- Consensus All - American (2019)
- First - Team Freshman All - American (2018)
- First - Team All - Big Ten (2019)
- Butkus - Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year (2019)
- USA Today High School All - US (2017)
Offensive Rookie of the Year Award
The standout wide receiver of the Cincinnati Bengals, Ja’Marr Chase, won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award as he had one hell of a season in the National Football League this past 2021 – 2022 NFL regular season. Chase set the Cincinnati Bengals franchise record for the most receiving yards in game with 266 - receiving yards as well as total receiving yards in a single season with 1,455 - receiving yards.
Now that the Cincinnati Bengals are heading into Super Bowl LVI this Sunday, February 13th, 2022 Ja’Marr Chase will be highlighted on the biggest sports stage in the world, and the everyone around the globe can watch and appreciate his speed and raw talent.
Ja’Marr Chase’s Football Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards
- NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2021)
- NFL Second - Team All - Pro (2021)
- NFL Pro Bowl Selection (2021)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (2021)
- Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year (2021)
- CFP National Champion (2019)
- Fred Biletnikoff Award (2019)
- Consensus All - American (2019)
- First - Team All - SEC (2019)
Coach of the Year Award
The Tennessee Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel, won the NFL Coach of the Year Award for leading the Tennessee Titans to an unbelievable and admirable 12 and 5 regular season record this past football season while dealing with and handling serious obstacle such as losing their best player in Derrick Henry to injury for the majority of the 2021 – 2022 NFL regular season. The Tennessee Titans placed in the top seed for the AFC heading into the NFL playoffs this season.
"This is a reflection of our 91 players who helped us win 12 games and our coaching staff," Mike Vrabel stated as he was accepting this prestigious award.
Comeback Player of the Year Award
Joe Burrow, the starting quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals, won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award as he returned for the 2021 – 2022 NFL season following a major ACL knee surgery the previous year leading his team to the NFL postseason and ultimately the Super Bowl as well.
Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for the 2021 – 2022 NFL season was presented to the Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle, Andrew Whitworth.
Assistant Coach of the Year Honor
The Assistant Coach of the Year honor went to the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, Dan Quinn.
Sources:
“Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers wins 2nd straight MVP; Cooper Kupp top offensive player”, Rob Demovsky, espn.com, February 10, 2022.
“Aaron Rodgers”, pro-football-reference.com, February 11, 2022.
“T. J. Watt”, pro-football-reference.com, February 11, 2022.
“Cooper Kupp”, pro-football-reference.com, February 11, 2022.
“Micah Parsons”, pro-football-reference.com, February 11, 2022.
“Ja’Marr Chase”, pro-football-reference.com, February 11, 2022.