Josh Allen wins his first NFL MVP award, beating out Lamar Jackson in one of the most intense races ever

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen drops back to pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half in the AFC Championship Game. (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today Sports / Reuters via CNN Newsource)

NEW ORLEANS — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player on Thursday, beating out Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in one of the closest MVP races in years.

Allen, who led the Bills to the AFC Championship Game, had a career season as the leader of one of the league’s most potent offensive attacks. Allen passed for more than 3,700 yards and ran for another 531 on the ground, while accounting for 40 total touchdowns.

“I know this is an individual award and it says Most Valuable Player on it, but I think it’s derived from team success and I love my team,” Allen said.

“We got such a great locker room in Buffalo and it takes everybody from the equipment staff to training room to the strength staff. … It truly takes everybody to have team success and I’m so fortunate to be a part of a great organization.”

The award is the first time Allen has been named the league’s MVP.

He also outdueled Jackson in the playoffs as the Bills defeated the Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round in one of the season’s premier games.

Jackson had a strong case for the award himself, passing for over 4,100 yards and running for 915 more. He accounted for 45 touchdowns, 41 of which came through the air.

The other finalists for the award were Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, though the race was largely seen as a two-man race between Allen and Jackson.

“Lamar was very deserving of this award as well,” Allen said. “I got nothing but love and respect for him in this game. He’s, like I said earlier, a great steward of the game. And every time we share a field, I’m very fortunate to be mentioned the same breath as him.”

Allen also thanked his fiancé, actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld, who he called his best friend.

“It’s been a good few months, I’ll tell you that,” Allen said. “Obviously, wish we were playing this weekend, wish I wasn’t here. But, life moves on and stuff off the field to players matters too, and where I’m at in my life, with my family, with my fiancé Hailee, I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be more ecstatic who I get to spend my life with.”

Offensive rookie of the year

Washington Commanders’ quarterback Jayden Daniels put his team on his back all season, leading them to an unlikely trip to the NFC Championship Game. He capped off his season with one last accomplishment: Becoming the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The No. 2 overall draft pick in 2024 passed for more than 3,500 yards in his first NFL campaign and ran for another 890 yards. He accounted for 31 total touchdowns in the air and on the ground.

“It’s nothing but hard work. … To be back in Louisiana to receive an award and have two of my best friends behind me and nominated too, it’s just an honor,” said Daniels, who finished up his college career at Louisiana State University.

Daniels’ incredible Hail Mary pass to beat the Chicago Bears as time expired earlier in the season also won the award for Moment of the Year.

Defensive player of the year

Patrick Surtain II was the surprising pick for the league’s top defensive player after a year with four interceptions and 14 passes defended.

It was widely thought that Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was the favorite for the award, but Surtain’s status as one of the game’s most lockdown corners – as he was only targeted 62 times all season – won him the award. When he was targeted, quarterbacks only had a 58.9 rating against him.

He called the win something he worked all off-season for and a dream come true.

“That’s just all technique and all film study, and I’ll be the best version of myself each and every game, and I’m holding my side of the field down,” Surtain told CNN. “I think that’s where I become most valuable toward the team once I do my job and I hold my side of the field on lockdown. So that’s what I did all year. You know, I put my mind forward to having a great year, and that’s what I came to do, is lockdown my side of the field.”

Offensive player of the year

Barkley, the Philadelphia Eagles running back who set the league on fire in his first season in the City of Brotherly Love, took home the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award.

Barkley became the ninth running back to ever rush for more than 2,000 yards and has helped lead his team to the Super Bowl. He also made one of the plays of the season, pulling off an incredible reverse hurdle in Week 9 over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Barkley would also later be named the Jim Brown Award winner for leading the league in rushing.

Barkley and the Eagles are playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl and he did not attend the ceremony to accept his award.

Comeback player of the year

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow won the award after putting up a stellar season following an injury plagued 2023 season. After missing significant time in 2023 due to calf and wrist injuries, Burrow threw for 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns as the Bengals only just missed out on the playoffs.

Burrow has faced numerous injuries since he came into the league, something he alluded to in his acceptance speech, but when fully healthy in 2024 he had his best campaign to date.

The award was presented virtually by Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss, who is being treated for cancer.

Defensive rookie of the year

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse took home the award for defensive rookie of the year after a campaign that saw him rack up 66 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Verse also had a stellar playoff campaign, recovering a fumble against the Minnesota Vikings in the wild card round and following up some trash talk against Eagles fans with two sacks and four solo tackles in the divisional round defeat in Philadelphia.

“It’s a small step towards them,” Verse said of the award and his overall career goals. “You know, there’s a lot of people win this award that after they win it they get satisfied. It’s just a small step to a bigger goal.”

Coach of the Year

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell won the award in his third season leading the Vikes.

He led his team to a 14-3 season, second in the NFC North to the Detroit Lions. The Vikings had a disappointing end to the year, losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round a week after being defeated by the Lions for the division.

Still, it was a bounce-back season for the Vikings after going 7-10 in 2023 and losing starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to free agency. When rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy went down with a season-ending injury before the season, the team had to turn to Sam Darnold, in his first season with the team after disappointing tenures with the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers. O’Connell helped Darnold to a career year and led one of the most explosive offenses in the league.

“I put a lot of thought into this season with this team, I thought it’d have a chance to be a special team. … I just believed in our organization, my belief in our coaches and our players to come together and just try to win one football game.

He added, “It’s a great example of unique people and unique things being able to come together and we found a way to try to have unique results.”

Walter Payton Man of the Year

Arik Armstead of the Jacksonville Jaguars was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his work in the community encouraging education and promoting reading. A major portion of his work has been toward increasing literacy through his Armstead Academic Project.

He’s been named his team’s Man of the Year five times throughout his career – in San Francisco and Jacksonville – and this was his first time winning the league’s honour.

“This is a huge honor. The NFL (and) the Payton family do a good job of making this award prestigious and truly what they want it to be,” Armstead said. “And, you know, to be mentioned in the same breath as the great Walter Payton is a huge honor and validation of the work that we’re all trying to do in our community. And, man, it’s a huge sense of responsibility that I feel to you know, carry this even forward and continue to serve and serve more people.

Since he established the Armstead Academic Project in 2019, the defensive lineman has donated millions of dollars toward community efforts at improving literacy, providing educational materials and investing in schools both in the Bay Area and in Jacksonville. According to the NFL, Armstead and his wife donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to schools in the area.

For Armstead, the work is about honoring those who helped him when he struggled in school as a youngster and the teachers and educators who keep helping today’s youth.

“We had a huge teacher appreciation event in Sacramento, where I’m from, this past year, where we really wanted to honor the educators who I feel have the most important job in our society, (which) is educating our youth,” Armstead said. “So, you know, paying it back and showing appreciation for those who have helped me – not only me personally to get in this position, but also who are helping our young people on the daily – is very huge for us.”

Kyle Feldscher, CNN