NEW ORLEANS — Josh Allen wanted to leave New Orleans with different hardware.
Still, the 28-year-old Buffalo Bills quarterback was happy to be recognized for his accomplishments during the NFL’s 2024 season.
Allen edged two-time winner Lamar Jackson, the 28-year-old quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, for the league MVP award award in the closest race for that honor since Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan beat out New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the 2016 season.
“I wish we weren’t hoisting this trophy. I wish we were hoisting the Lombardi — and we’re going to keep working until we do,” Allen said Thursday night at the NFL Honors awards show, referring to winning a Super Bowl.
Allen, who led the Bills to a fifth straight AFC East Division title, got 27 first-place votes to Jackson’s 22 and finished with 378 points. He received 21 second-place votes and one third. The Bills fell short of playing in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday at the Superdome after losing two weeks ago in the AFC title game to the Kansas City Chiefs, who will be going for an unprecedented third straight Lombardi Trophy when they face the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Jackson, who led the Ravens to a second straight AFC North championship, got 26 second-place votes and one fourth for a total of 352 points. Baltimore lost to Buffalo in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley finished third (117 points) in NFL MVP voting, followed by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (82) and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (47).
A nationwide panel of 49 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began.
Allen threw for 3,731 yards, 28 touchdowns and had six picks for a 101.4 passer rating during the regular season. He ran for 531 yards and 12 scores, becoming the first player in NFL history to have five consecutive seasons with at least 40 total touchdowns.
“I feel like my teammates wanted this more for me than I did, but I’m very honored,” said Allen, who was joined at the ceremony by actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld, his fiancée.
Jackson had career highs by passing for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns with just four interceptions for a 119.6 passer rating, which led the NFL. In NFL All-Pro voting announced last month, he got 30 first-place votes to Allen’s 18, making Jackson the first-team quarterback.
The last time a first-team All-Pro didn’t win the NFL MVP award was 1987. Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway was the MVP that season and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana was a first-team All-Pro. The MVP award is given to a player who had the most valuable season, while All-Pro is a statistical recognition.
In other awards announced Thursday night at NFL Honors, the winners were Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings as coach of the year, Ben Johnson as assistant of the year for his work as offensive coordinator for the Lions, Barkley as offensive player of the year, Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II as defensive player of the year, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels as offensive rookie of the year, Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse as defensive rookie of the year, Burrow as comeback player of the year and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Arik Armistead as the Walter Payton winner for man of the year.
O’Connell beat out Detroit’s Dan Campbell after leading the Vikings to 14 wins with quarterback Sam Darnold.
The Vikings, widely picked to finish last in the NFC North, ended up playing for a division title and the conference’s No. 1 seed in the final game of the regular season. They lost to the Lions and then were knocked out of the playoffs by the Rams on wild-card weekend in the opening round.
“I put a lot of thought into this season. I thought it had a chance to be a special team,” said O’Connell, who was presented by Bill Belichick, the former Patriots coach who drafted him in the third round in 2008. “It really wasn’t about that. It was more my belief in our organization and my belief in our coaches and our players to come together and just try to win one football game.
“It’s a great example of unique people and unique things being able to come together and find a way to try to have unique results.”
O’Connell got 24 first-place votes, 18 seconds and seven thirds, appearing on all 49 ballots.
Campbell, who guided Detroit to a franchise-record 15 wins, got 19 first-place votes to finish second. Other coaches who received votes were Kansas City’s Andy Reid (four), Denver’s Sean Payton (one) and Washington’s Dan Quinn (one).
Johnson was a clear choice for assistant of the year, receiving 29 first-place votes. Johnson, who has since been hired as head coach of the Chicago Bears after the Lions’ loss to the Commanders in the divisional round of the playoffs, coordinated an offense that was first in scoring (33.22 points per game) and second in yards (409.5 per game) during the NFL’s 2024 season.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores got three first-place votes and finished second in the voting. Former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who has since been hired as head coach of the New York Jets, received five first-place votes and came in third.
Barkley ran away with the offensive player of the year honor after rushing for 2,005 yards, eighth best in NFL history, in his first season with the Eagles after spending his first six NFL seasons with the New York Giants, an NFC East rival.
Barkley sat out Philadelphia’s regular-season finale when he was 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season NFL record, but he has 442 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the playoffs.
Barkley needs 30 yards on the ground in Sunday’s Super Bowl to set the all-time single-season record, including the playoffs. Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis rushed for 2,476 yards in 19 regular-season and playoff games for the 1998 Broncos, who were Super Bowl champions.
Barkley received 34 of 49 first-place votes. Baltimore’s Jackson received 12 first-place votes and teammate Derrick Henry, a running back, got one. Cincinnati’s Burrow and Buffalo’s Allen also received one first-place vote each.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase finished third in the voting despite having no first-place votes. Chase, a unanimous selection for the All-Pro first team, won the receiving triple crown, leading the league with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Denver’s Surtain II became the seventh cornerback to be selected as defensive player of the year.
An All-Pro first-team selection this season for the second time in his four NFL seasons, he allowed just 37 receptions and intercepted four passes, and opposing quarterbacks had a 61.1 passer rating throwing against him.
Surtain received 25 first-place votes, beating out edge rushers Trey Hendrickson (11 first-place votes) of the Bengals and Myles Garrett (five) of the Cleveland Browns.
“When I’m holding my side of the field down, that’s where I become most valuable to the team,” Surtain said. “That’s what I did all year. … That’s what I came to do, is lock down my side of the field.”
Others who received first-place votes for the award: Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt (three), Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (two), Lions safety Kerby Joseph (one) and Vikings edge rushers Jonathan Greenard (one) and Andrew Van Ginkel (one) also received first-place votes.
Stephon Gilmore had been the most cornerback to win defensive player of the year in the 2019 season. Charles Woodson, Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, Lester Hayes and Mel Blount previously won it as cornerbacks.
Daniels was a nearly unanimous choice for offensive rookie of the year after helping the Commanders win 12 games in the regular season.
The Pro Bowl quarterback received 48 of 49 first-place votes, with the other going to Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.
“It’s just nothing but hard work, and just preparation,” Daniels said, alluding to the jump he made in his final season at LSU, when he won the Heisman Trophy in college football’s 2023 season. “If you lock in for one year, your life will change. I kind of did that.”
Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick, threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns while posting a 100.1 rating. He also ran for 891 yards and six scores. Daniels led the Commanders to a pair of road wins in the playoffs before their loss to the Eagles in the NFC championship game.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix finished third in the voting, Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was fourth and Giants wideout Malik Nabers was fifth.
The Rams’ Verse was an overwhelming choice for defensive rookie of the year.
“Hard work can take you anywhere,” Verse said. “You don’t have to be the biggest, the strongest, the fastest. As long as you work hard, you can overcome anything. So it’s just a testament to that.”
Verse had 4.5 sacks and led all rookies in quarterback hits (18), pressures (77) and hurries (56). He also had 11 tackles for loss. Verse got 36 first-place votes, well ahead of Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who received nine.
Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske, Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still, Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock and Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil each got one apiece.
Cincinnati’s Burrow took the comeback player of the year award after returning from wrist surgery in 2023 to lead the NFL with 4,918 yards passing and 43 touchdown passes this season.
Burrow played all 17 games for the Bengals (9-8) after missing seven due to injuries the previous season. He received 31 first-place votes and finished far ahead of Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (three first-place votes).
Others who received first-place votes for the award: Minnesota’s Darnold (seven), Bills safety Damar Hamlin (three) and Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (two).
Jacksonville’s Armstead, whose Armstead Academic Project supports early childhood education, called winning the Walter Payton award “a huge honor.”
Armstead, who openly discusses how his difficulty reading as a child made him self-conscious, routinely visits schools and reads to children as part of his mission to ensure young students of all socioeconomic backgrounds have access to adequate educational resources.
“It’s a huge sense of responsibility that I feel to carry this forward and continue to serve,” Armstead said, “and serve more people.”
Armstead thanked his parents for “instilling a serving spirit into me at a young age.”
“Your guidance is the biggest reason why I’m where I’m at in my life right now,” he said. “I hope I make you proud.”
Armstead closed with a request to his audience in the Saenger Theater and those watching on television.
“We live in a world that is constantly trying to divide us,” Armstead said. “But I believe in humanity. I believe that we are all more alike than we are different, and I believe that all of us have the power to be the change we want to see in our society.
“I just encourage you to try to be a blessing in someone else’s life and see how that changes your life.”