Burrow wins Comeback Player of the Year; Chase and Hendrickson miss out on respective honors

The Bengals star players were all in attendance at the NLF Honors Thursday night.

Three years after winning Comeback Player of the Year for returning from a torn ACL while leading the Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl LVI, quarterback Joe Burrow is now a two-time recipient of the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award after winning this year’s award.

After missing the last seven games of the 2023 Season with a wrist injury, Burrow played and started in all 17 games in 2024 and had the best season of his career. He completed 70.6 percent of his passes for 4,913 yards and 43 touchdowns, leading the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns.

In addition, Burrow became the first player in NFL history to pass for 250+ yards and three+ touchdowns in eight straight games, accomplishing the feat in Weeks 9-17.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who won the NFL’s Receiving Triple Crown, was a finalist for Offensive Player of the Year. Despite catching 127 receptions for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was the recipient for this year’s Offensive Player of the Year. Barkley rushed for an NFL-leading 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns on 345 carries.

On the other side of the ball, Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, was a finalist for the AP Defensive Player of the Year. But that award went to Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who had 11 passes defended and four interceptions this season.

Joe Burrow has been very vocal this week in New Orleans about his optimism and urgency about getting Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson, and Mike Gesicki extended this offseason. He’s made it emphatically clear multiple times over the past two months about what he wants and his optimistic belief that these extensions can get done.