NEW ORLEANS - Other than Jayden Daniels as Offensive Rookie of the Year, 2024 was not an easy season to be among the 50 voters who chose the winners of the eight regular-season awards handed out by the Associated Press during Thursday night’s NFL Honors show at Saenger Theater.
Voters were asked to rank our top five in each category. Here is my complete ballot:
Most Valuable Player
- Josh Allen, QB, Bills
- Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
- Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles
- Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders
- Jared Goff, QB, Lions
Jackson was my first-team All-Pro quarterback, but Allen was more “valuable” by a hair-splitting margin in my mind. The Bills were a descending 11-6 team, but Allen carried them to 13-4 with wins over No. 1 seeds Kansas City and Detroit.
Winner: Allen (383 points, 27 first-place votes)
Coach of the Year
- Kevin O’Connell, Vikings
- Dan Quinn, Commanders
- Dan Campbell, Lions
- Andy Reid, Chiefs
- Sean Payton, Broncos
My running joke with O’Connell is that I want to vote for Reid before he strolls into the Hall of Fame having not won this award as coach of an NFL dynasty in Kansas City. Well, sorry Andy, but K.O. won 14 games with Sam Darnold playing at an MVP-caliber level through Week 17.
Winner: O’Connell (361 points, 25 first-place votes)
Assistant Coach of the Year
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator, Lions
- Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator, Chargers
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator, Vikings
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator, Bills
- Vic Fangio, defensive coordinator, Eagles
Flores was my pick until Week 18, when Johnson bested him for the second time in Detroit’s soul-crushing season sweep. Johnson made Detroit’s No. 1-ranked scoring offense (33.9) anything he wanted it to be — explosive, powerful, efficient, unpredictable and highly creative. Da Bears just might have found the right head coach to pair with a promising young QB.
Winner: Johnson (364 points, 29 first-place votes)