When was the last time each NFL team had a player win AP Offensive Player of the Year?

Often seen as an award given to the best non-quarterback in the NFL each year, players from just three positions have won the award since its introduction in 1972.

As a sports fan who has always been a bit less tuned in to the NFL than the other major North American professional sports leagues, the postseason awards have always been quite intriguing to me.

Chief among them has been the always-interesting dynamic between the NFL MVP award and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award – both of which are voted on and awarded by the Associated Press.

While there are of course exceptions, the NFL MVP has become a very quarterback-heavy award. Since the start of the 2000 season, only four non-quarterbacks have won the MVP, all of whom were running backs. Adrian Peterson’s MVP win in 2012 marks the most recent occasion that a signal caller did not take home the award.

This trend has rubbed off on the AP Offensive Player of the Year award as well, where writers often seek to award the most impressive offensive player who isn’t a quarterback – although quarterbacks do stumble on to wins of the award as well.

Since the award was introduced in 1972, only quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers have taken home the honor – meaning that despite consistently great seasons from the likes of Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce among others, a tight end has never brought the honor home.

The award has been particularly angled towards running backs and wide receivers in recent years, with Patrick Mahomes being the most recent quarterback to win the award in 2018 – a season in which he was also named the NFL MVP. This hasn’t always been the case though, with quarterbacks snagging five of the seven awards between 2010 and 2016.

The following eight teams have never had a player win the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award:

• New York Jets
• Cleveland Browns
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Houston Texans
• New York Giants
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Arizona Cardinals

With the 2026 NFL season nearing the halfway point, here’s a look at the last time each NFL team had a player win the Offensive Player of the Year award, beginning with the most recent occurrences:

1. Seattle Seahawks: 2025, Jaxon Smith-Njiba (WR)
2. Philadelphia Eagles: 2024, Saquon Barkley (RB)
3. San Francisco 49ers: 2023, Christian McCaffrey (RB)
4. Minnesota Vikings: 2022, Justin Jefferson (WR)
5. Los Angeles Rams: 2021, Cooper Kupp (WR)
6. Tennessee Titans: 2020, Derrick Henry (WR)
7. New Orleans Saints: 2019, Michael Thomas (WR)
8. Kansas City Chiefs: 2018, Patrick Mahomes (QB)
9. Atlanta Falcons: 2016, Matt Ryan (QB)
10. Carolina Panthers: 2015, Cam Newton (QB)
11. Dallas Cowboys: 2014, DeMarco Murray (RB)
12. Denver Broncos: 2013, Peyton Manning (QB)
13. New England Patriots: 2010, Tom Brady (QB)
14. Los Angeles Chargers: 2006, LaDainian Tomlinson (RB)*
15. Indianapolis Colts: 2004, Peyton Manning (QB)
16. Baltimore Ravens: 2003, Jamal Lewis (RB)
17. Detroit Lions: 1997, Barry Sanders (RB)
18. Green Bay Packers: 1995, Brett Favre (QB)
19. Buffalo Bills: 1991, Thurman Thomas (RB)
20. Las Vegas Raiders: 1985, Marcus Allen (RB)**
21. Miami Dolphins: 1984, Dan Marino (QB)
22. Washington Commanders: 1983, Joe Theismann (QB)^
23. Cincinnati Bengals: 1981, Ken Anderson (QB)
24. Chicago Bears: 1977, Walter Payton (RB)

*denotes team was known as San Diego Chargers at the time
**denotes team was known as Los Angeles Raiders at the time
^denotes team was known as Washington Redskins at the time