After lacking half of the 2023 NFL season, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow returned in 2024 and had not solely one of the best season of his profession, but additionally top-of-the-line seasons within the league.
It was not sufficient to get the Bengals within the playoffs, but it surely was sufficient to get Burrow the NFL Comeback Participant of the Yr Award for the second time in his profession.
Burrow additionally gained the award in 2021 when he returned from an damage that reduce his rookie season brief in 2020.
It is particularly notable as a result of Burrow is simply the second participant in league historical past to win the award two completely different occasions.
He joins an especially brief checklist that features solely quarterback Chad Pennington who gained it in 2006 as a member of the New York Jets and once more two years later as a member of the Miami Dolphins.
Burrow led the league with 460 completions, 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns, whereas additionally throwing simply 9 interceptions.
In most seasons that may have been sufficient to show a workforce right into a Tremendous Bowl contender. However as a result of the Bengals protection was so dangerous, they managed solely a 9-8 report and missed the playoffs for the second yr in a row.
On condition that Burrow got here again from a big damage and performed at such an elite stage, he’s a really worthy winner. There was some thought that maybe Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold might win it after the way in which he turned his profession round. However that is the place the award has a variety of subjectivity to it.
Is getting back from struggling on the sphere and being a backup extra spectacular than getting back from an damage? In previous years it has been, when Joe Flacco gained it a yr in the past and Geno Smith gained it the yr earlier than that. This yr it went to the participant getting back from damage.
