Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who led the league in touchdown passes, was selected as the 2020 NFL Most Valuable Player chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, who led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, was selected as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who was tied for second in the NFL in sacks as part of the league’s No. 1-ranked defense, was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Rodgers, the 47th MVP honored by the PFWA, won the award for the third time (2011, 2014, 2020) which ties him with Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady for second most in the history of the PFWA’s MVP honor. He is the eighth consecutive quarterback to be selected MVP by the PFWA and the 31st QB to win the award overall. The third PFWA honor for the Packers quarterback extends Green Bay’s record of PFWA MVP awards to six (quarterbacks Bart Starr in 1966 and Brett Favre in 1995 and 1996).
Rodgers, in his 16th NFL season, started all 16 games, completed 372 of 526 passes (NFL-leading and club-record 70.7 completion percentage) for 4,299 yards with a league-leading and club-record 48 TD passes and only five interceptions. He also led the NFL in passer rating (121.5), the second-highest mark in league history. He set NFL single-season marks for most games with a 120-plus passer rating (10) and games with a 120-plus rating/four-plus passing TDs (seven), and he tied the NFL mark for most games with three or more TDs with 12. Rodgers also became the first QB in NFL history to throw multiple TD passes and post a completion percentage of 70-plus in six straight games (Weeks 9-14). During the season, he became the first quarterback in league history to reach career totals of 50,000-plus passing yards, 400-plus passing TDs and 3,000-plus rushing yards. Rodgers was the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 13 and the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. He was selected to the PFWA’s 2020 All-NFL and All-NFC teams.
Henry, in his fifth season, is the first Titans player to receive the PFWA’s Offensive Player of the Year honor since the award was instituted in 1992. He is the 12th running back to earn the award, and the first since the Rams’ Todd Gurley in 2017.
Henry started all 16 games and rushed 378 times for a league-leading and franchise-record 2,027 yards and an NFL-best 17 touchdowns. He became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards, and his 2020 total was the fifth highest in league history. He rushed for a franchise-record 250 yards in the Week 17 victory at Houston, one of three 200-plus yard rushing games during the season. Henry became the first NFL player to rush for 175 or more yards and have two or more TD runs four times in a single season. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week twice (Weeks 6 and 17) and AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. He was selected to the PFWA’s 2020 All-NFL and All-AFC teams.
Donald, in his seventh season, is the PFWA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons (2018 and 2020), and his honor is the third by a Rams player (defensive end Robert Quinn in 2013) since the award was instituted in 1992. He is one of four defensive tackles to win the award and the only one to win it twice.
Donald started all 16 games and had 45 total tackles (27 solo), 14 tackles for loss, a team-leading 13.5 sacks for minus-86 yards, 26 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He had 10 games with at least one-half sack and eight contests with one sack or more. Donald’s career-high four-sack game for minus-23 yards in Week 5 at Washington earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He was selected to the PFWA’s 2020 All-NFL and All-NFC teams.
2020 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
2020 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: RB Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
2020 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: DT Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
PFWA NFL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: 1966 – Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers; 1967-74 – no selections; 1975 – QB Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings; 1976 – QB Bert Jones, Baltimore Colts; 1977 – RB Walter Payton, Chicago Bears; 1978 – RB Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers; 1979 – RB Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers; 1980 – QB Brian Sipe, Cleveland Browns; 1981 – QB Ken Anderson, Cincinnati Bengals; 1982 – QB Dan Fouts, San Diego Chargers; 1983 – QB Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins; 1984 – QB Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins; 1985 – RB Marcus Allen, Los Angeles Raiders; 1986 – LB Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants; 1987 – WR Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers; 1988 – QB Boomer Esiason, Cincinnati Bengals; 1989 – QB Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers; 1990 – QB Randall Cunningham, Philadelphia Eagles; 1991 – RB Thurman Thomas, Buffalo Bills; 1992 – QB Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers; 1993 – RB Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys; 1994 – QB Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers; 1995 – QB Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers; 1996 – QB Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers; 1997 – RB Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions; 1998 – RB Terrell Davis, Denver Broncos; 1999 – QB Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams; 2000 – RB Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams; 2001 – RB Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams; 2002 – QB Rich Gannon, Oakland Raiders; 2003 – RB Jamal Lewis, Baltimore Ravens; 2004 – QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts; 2005 – RB Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks; 2006 – RB LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers; 2007 – QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots; 2008 – QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts; 2009 – QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts; 2010 – QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots; 2011 – QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers; 2012 – RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings; 2013 – QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos; 2014 – QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers; 2015 – QB Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers; 2016 – QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons; 2017 – QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots; 2018 – QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs; 2019 – QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens; 2020 – QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers.
PFWA OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: 1992 — QB Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers; 1993 — RB Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys; 1994 — QB Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers; 1995 — QB Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers; 1996 — QB Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers; 1997 — RB Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions; 1998 — RB Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions; 1999 — QB Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams; 2000 — RB Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams; 2001 — RB Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams; 2002 — QB Rich Gannon, Oakland Raiders; 2003 — RB Jamal Lewis, Baltimore Ravens; 2004 — QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts; 2005 — RB Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks; 2006 — RB LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers; 2007 — QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots; 2008 — QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts; 2009 — QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts; 2010 — QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots; 2011 — QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers; 2012 — RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings; 2013 — QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos; 2014 — RB DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys; 2015 — QB Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers; 2016 — QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons; 2017 — RB Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams; 2018 — QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs; 2019 — QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens; 2020 — RB Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans.
PFWA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: 1992 — DT Cortez Kennedy, Seattle Seahawks; 1993 — DE Bruce Smith, Buffalo Bills; 1994 — CB Deion Sanders, San Francisco 49ers; 1995 — LB Bryce Paup, Buffalo Bills; 1996 — DE Bruce Smith, Buffalo Bills; 1997 — DT Dana Stubblefield, San Francisco 49ers; 1998 — DE Reggie White, Green Bay Packers; 1999 — DT Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 2000 — LB Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens; 2001 — DE Michael Strahan, New York Giants; 2002 — LB Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 2003 — LB Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens; 2004 — S Ed Reed, Baltimore Ravens; 2005 — LB Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears; 2006 — DE Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins; 2007 — S Bob Sanders, Indianapolis Colts; 2008 — LB James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers; 2009 — CB Charles Woodson, Green Bay Packers; 2010 — LB Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers; 2011 — LB Terrell Suggs, Baltimore Ravens; 2012 — DE J.J. Watt, Houston Texans; 2013 — DE Robert Quinn, St. Louis Rams; 2014 — DE J.J. Watt, Houston Texans; 2015 — DE J.J. Watt, Houston Texans; 2016 — DE Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders; 2017 — DE Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars; 2018 — DT Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams; 2019 — CB Stephon Gilmore, New England Patriots; 2020 — DT Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams.