Major individual awards for the 2022 season will be handed out at tomorrow night’s NFL Honors ceremony, so it’s time to unveil my picks for MVP and more. Of course, these selections were made before the postseason began, as the playoffs are not taken into consideration for NFL season awards.
MVP: Jalen Hurts, Eagles
I have no problem with any of Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes (the likely winner), Joe Burrow, or Josh Allen—Burrow and Allen might’ve had a better shot if the huge Week 17 Bills-Bengals game, which was understandably canceled, was played—for the 2022 NFL MVP. But for the third consecutive year, it appears that I am going to disagree with the player that will be named Most Valuable Player. Hurts was looking like the MVP favorite before a Week 15 shoulder injury forced him to miss the next two games (two losses for the Eagles) and not look like himself in the regular season finale. But I felt Hurts did enough in his 15 starts, leading Philadelphia to a 14-1 record while doing it all as a premier dual threat quarterback that scored 13 times—including often finding the end zone and also keeping drives going on an unstoppable quarterback sneak—and operating as perhaps the most accurate deep passer in the league this year. The precision and touch Hurts showed on his passes was highly impressive, and he doesn’t get enough credit for how well he threw the ball. Because of the injury, I don’t feel quite as strongly that the voters get this year wrong like I did the past two seasons; but Hurts is my MVP pick.
Offensive Player of the Year: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
While Mahomes is not my MVP pick, he is—with respect to Justin Jefferson, who appears to have a good shot to win—my Offensive Player of the Year selection. I think this one could be any of Mahomes, Hurts, or Jefferson; but Mahomes totaled the most total yards in a season in NFL history (5,614, though the recent increase to the 17-game schedule should be mentioned) and led the league in total touchdowns (45). With a revamped receiving corps, Mahomes distributed the ball super proficiently to his weapons (headlined by All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce) to lead the highest-scoring offense in football this season.
Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Bosa, 49ers
Cowboys defender Micah Parsons and my preseason pick was the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner for most of 2022, but Nick Bosa ended the regular season on a higher note and led the NFL with 18.5 sacks while leading the league-best 49ers defense. This was a strong year for top-tier pass rushers, but Bosa stands out as an elite finisher for the elite Niners defense.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ken Walker III, Seahawks
Offensive Rookie of the Year might end up being the closest award race from this season. Jets receiver Garrett Wilson had over 1,100 yards and looks to have a real shot to win, but this came down to Seahawks running back Ken Walker III and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy for me. In eight starts, Purdy threw for 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions while leading San Francisco to an 8-0 record, but I’m giving a narrow edge to Walker after he ended the regular season with three consecutive 100-yard games while helping Seattle make the playoffs. Overall, Walker rushed 228 times for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns while also adding 27 receptions for 165 receiving yards—and he quickly became one of the league’s top big-play threats.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Sauce Gardner, Jets
Seahawks rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen was outstanding and tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions, but it’s difficult to ignore the Jets’ Sauce Gardner instantly becoming a shutdown type of corner in Robert Saleh’s defense. As the No. 4 overall pick, Gardner lived up to the billing, and he earned a well-deserved First Team All-Pro nod while also earning the recognition from his teammates to keep the “Sauce” moniker.
Comeback Player of the Year: Geno Smith
Nick Gates deserves obvious mention here, and it’s disappointing that he’s not a finalist to win Comeback Player of the Year. However, I’m going with Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, who showed perseverance of his own by biding his time as a backup for years before finally taking advantage of his opportunity to finally start again. Smith led the NFL in completion percentage at 68.9, throwing for nearly 4,300 yards with 30 touchdowns compared to just 11 interceptions. The veteran signal caller has never gotten acknowledgement for how naturally accurate he is, and he was able to put it on display while leading the Seahawks to the postseason in 2022.
Coach of the Year: Brian Daboll, Giants
I’ve seen a lot of talk about preseason Vegas over/under win totals and whatnot, but—nothing against the other candidates, including non-finalist Nick Sirianni—it’s hard to argue that Brian Daboll did more with what he had than any other head coach in the league this season. Even internally to some extent, the Giants were expected to start legitimately competing in 2023 more so than in 2022, but Daboll’s first year quickly established a culture of doing what it takes to compete and win games. The former Bills offensive coordinator did great work with quarterback Daniel Jones and got just about everything he could out of New York’s roster.