Each year in the NFL, a player gets awarded Comeback Player of the Year. A player can win the award for a multitude of reasons and, usually, it’s due to a strong season following a season-ending injury the year prior.
Last year’s winner was Geno Smith after he led his Seattle Seahawks team to the playoffs after spending the previous six years as a journeyman backup. This year, the odds-on favorite to take home the award is Damar Hamlin. The sheer fact that he was even able to play football in the fall after nearly passing away on the football field is a miracle in itself.
Even then, there have been a few players well worth the Comeback Player of the Year discussion who aren’t named Hamlin. Reviewing the latest odds from sites like Bet365 bonus code Canada will find that Hamlin is the frontrunner, but there are others with strong cases to be made.
3 Players Up for Comeback Player of the Year
Joe Flacco
The former long-time Baltimore Ravens quarterback and Super Bowl champion has found a second wind. The writing was on the wall when the Ravens selected Lamar Jackson back in 2018 and he took it in stride. Following that, he spent a year in Denver followed by three years with the Jets. In all that time, he was a backup who made 17 starts and was a street free agent this year.
Then, the Cleveland Browns ran through all of their quarterbacks and needed help. So, they called up a former division rival and all he’s done is give them hope by winning four of his five starts.
In just five games – and his regular season is over as the Browns will rest him for the playoffs – Flacco finished with 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns. His 323.3 yards per game in that stretch is good for a career-best at nearly 39 years old.
With how he’s playing, along with his supporting cast, Flacco has a very real shot of leading this Browns team to the Super Bowl. His efforts, even in five games, make him a fine candidate for Comeback Playof of the Year.
Baker Mayfield
From one former Brown to another, Baker Mayfield has rejuvenated his career and has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in position to win the NFC South.
Mayfield spent the first four years of his career in Cleveland after being their first-overall pick in 2018 and led the team to a combined 29-30 mark including a playoff appearance and win in 2020. Following the 2021 season, the Browns did not bring him back, instead opting to trade the farm for a suspended and embattled Deshaun Watson.
He then played six games with the Panthers and four with the Rams before hitting the market yet again before the 2023 season. Then, the Buccaneers brought him in and he’s turned into a brand-new quarterback.
Prior to Week 18, Mayfield has already hit new career bests with 3,907 yards and 28 touchdowns. Tampa Bay is in line to win the NFC South for the third consecutive year and Mayfield’s play has been a massive part of that.
Matthew Stafford
The long-time Lions quarterback and leader of the Rams to the Super Bowl has the opportunity to become the second two-time Comeback Player of the Year winner
Stafford is likely heading to the Hall of Fame after he eventually decides to hang them up. However, that’s nowhere on his mind in 2023 as the 35-year-old quarterback has led his team to the playoffs yet again and has an opportunity to face off against his former team.
Last year, it looked like Father Time had caught up with Stafford as he was battling a shoulder injury all year that eventually knocked him out after nine games. This year, he’s shown that he’s back and has been a massive part of the Puka Nacua breakout campaign.
With the playoffs clinched, Stafford will sit in Week 18, ending his regular season with 3.965 yards and 24 touchdowns.
After such a disappointing year in 2022, leading the Rams to the playoffs in such a difficult division cannot be understated.
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