NFL vice president of communications and chief spokesperson Brian McCarthy, lauded for his professional dealings with the media who cover the NFL, has been selected as the 2026 Horrigan Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
McCarthy, the 54th Horrigan Award winner, is the seventh member of the NFL’s league communications office to receive the award, joining Joe Browne (1985), Leslie Hammond (1995), Greg Aiello (1999), Steve Alic (2007), Michael Signora (2013 and 2022) and Randall Liu (2018).
The Horrigan Award is given to the league or club official for his or her qualities and professional style in helping the pro football writers do their job. Jack Horrigan was a sportswriter for UPI and the Buffalo Evening News, public relations director for the American Football League (1963-66) and vice president of public relations for the Buffalo Bills (1966-73). Joe Horrigan is in his 47th year with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame’s current senior advisor was executive director (2017-19), executive vice president of museums, selection process and chief communications officer (2014-17) and vice president, communications and exhibits (1996-2014).
Other 2026 nominees for the Horrigan Award were San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent.
McCarthy, who joined the NFL in 1994, facilitates national and local media requests as the league’s chief spokesperson. He serves as the point on off-the-field matters ranging from league policies to stadium issues to personal conduct matters. He has helped promote the league’s events, such as the NFL Scouting Combine, NFL Draft and schedule release, and helped turn those into marquee programs. He was named to the league’s chief spokesperson role in 2022.
“Brian McCarthy worked his way up the ranks in the NFL public relations office and has become a major presence – both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras – during the league’s explosive growth,” said former PFWA president Bob Glauber. “His assignments include handling questions often relating to controversial issues, but he handles these with composure and accountability. Decades’ worth of writers have come to rely on his expertise and insight, and his recognition with this award is richly deserved.”
HORRIGAN AWARD WINNERS (To the league or club official for his or her qualities and professional style in helping the pro football writers do their job) Year indicates when award was presented for previous season: 1973 – John Breen (Houston Oilers); 1974 – O.J. Simpson (Buffalo Bills); 1975 – Art Rooney Sr. (Pittsburgh Steelers); 1976 – Floyd Little (Denver Broncos); 1977 – Jerry Wynn (San Diego Chargers); 1978 – Bob Peck (Denver Broncos); 1979 – John Madden (Oakland Raiders); 1980 – Bum Phillips (Houston Oilers); 1981 – Bob Sprenger (Kansas City Chiefs); 1982 – Joe Gordon (Pittsburgh Steelers); 1983 – Archie Manning (New Orleans Saints/Houston Oilers); 1984 – Art Rooney Sr. (Pittsburgh Steelers); 1985 – Joe Browne (NFL); 1986 – Dick Steinberg (New England Patriots); 1987 – Charlie Dayton (Atlanta Falcons); 1988 – Art Modell (Cleveland Browns); 1989 – Tom Landry (Dallas Cowboys); 1990 – George Young (New York Giants); 1991 – Jim Finks (New Orleans Saints); 1992 – John Robinson (Los Angeles Rams); 1993 – Warren Moon (Houston Oilers); 1994 – Don Shula (Miami Dolphins); 1995 – Leslie Hammond (NFL); 1996 – Ron Wolf (Green Bay Packers); 1997 – Don Smith (Pro Football Hall of Fame); 1998 – Tony Dungy (Tampa Bay Buccaneers); 1999 – Greg Aiello (NFL); 2000 – Ernie Accorsi (New York Giants); 2001 – Jeff Fisher (Tennessee Titans); 2002 – Charley Casserly (Houston Texans); 2003 – Herman Edwards (New York Jets); 2004 – Ozzie Newsome (Baltimore Ravens); 2005 – Rich McKay (Atlanta Falcons); 2006 – Floyd Reese (Tennessee Titans); 2007 – Steve Alic (NFL); 2008 – Mike Holmgren (Seattle Seahawks); 2009 – Dan Rooney (Pittsburgh Steelers); 2010 – Gil Brandt (NFL.com); 2011 – Rex Ryan (New York Jets); 2012 – Thomas Dimitroff (Atlanta Falcons); 2013 – Michael Signora (NFL); 2014 – Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks); 2015 – Bruce Arians (Arizona Cardinals); 2016 – John Elway (Denver Broncos); 2017 – Mike Mayock (NFL Network); 2018 – Randall Liu (NFL); 2019 – Joe Horrigan (Pro Football Hall of Fame); 2020 – Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts); 2021 – Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills); 2022 – Michael Signora (NFL); 2023 – Ron Rivera (Washington Commanders); 2024 – Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams); 2025 – Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings); 2026 – Brian McCarthy (NFL)