Christian McCaffrey, 4 QBs named finalists for MVP award

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and four postseason quarterbacks were named the finalists for the NFL Most Valuable Player award, announced Thursday.

The Associated Press awards in eight categories, including MVP, will be handed out Feb. 8 at the 13th annual NFL Honors ceremony.

Joining McCaffrey as a finalist are his teammate, Brock Purdy, and Purdy's fellow quarterbacks — Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) and Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys).

Jackson earned MVP honors in 2019. Last year's winner, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, was not among the finalists.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who triumphantly returned to play this season after going into cardiac arrest on the field during a game in Cincinnati in January 2023, led the finalists in the Comeback Player of the Year category.

The final group also included Joe Flacco, who went from out-of-work quarterback to leading the Cleveland Browns into the playoffs.

Finalists for all eight postseason awards are:

Most Valuable Player

—Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills quarterback

—Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens quarterback

—Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers running back

—Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys quarterback

—Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers quarterback

Defensive Player of the Year

—DaRon Bland, Dallas Cowboys cornerback

—Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end

—Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns defensive end

—Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys linebacker

—T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker

Offensive Player of the Year

—Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins wide receiver

—Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens quarterback

—CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver

—Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers running back

—Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys quarterback

Offensive Rookie of the Year

—Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions running back

—Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions tight end

—Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver

—Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons running back

—C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans quarterback

Defensive Rookie of the Year

—Will Anderson, Houston Texans defensive end

—Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle

—Joey Porter Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback

—Kobie Turner, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle

—Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks cornerback

Comeback Player of the Year

—Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns quarterback

—Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills safety

—Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback

—Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams quarterback

—Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins quarterback

Coach of the Year

—Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions

—John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

—DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans

—Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers

—Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

Assistant Coach of the Year

—Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator

—Mike Macdonald, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator

—Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator

—Jim Schwartz, Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator

—Bobby Slowik, Houston Texans offensive coordinator

—Field Level Media