NFL Honors for 2024: Pro Football Hall of Fame Class | Who took home the major trophies?

The NFL Honors took place at the Resorts World Theatre on Thursday night, just in front of Super Bowl LVIII (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS), which features the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.

After taking home the trophy in 2019, quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens has now won the MVP award twice. Offensive Player of the Year went to Christian McCaffrey, a standout running back for San Francisco. Offensive Rookie of the Year went to rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans. Myles Garrett, a defensive end for the Cleveland Browns, took home his first Defensive Player of the Year title. Defensive Rookie of the Year went to Will Anderson Jr., a defensive end with the Texans. Kevin Stefanski, the head coach of the Browns, received two votes for Coach of the Year. Joe Flacco, the quarterback for Cleveland, was named Comeback Player of the Year.
Three days before Super Bowl LVIII, on Thursday night at NFL Honors at Resorts World in Las Vegas, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 was unveiled.

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Below are the Class members 2024:

• Dwight Freeney
• Devin Hester
• Andre Johnson
• Julius Peppers
• Patrick Willis
• Randy Gradishar (senior)
• Steve McMichael (senior)
• Dwight Freeney

In his second year of eligibility, Freeney is heading to Canton. He is one of the league’s most formidable pass rushers, and his speed off the edge teamed nicely with the fast turf in Indianapolis. The Colts of the 2000s were renowned for their potent offense, which was headed by Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, but Freeney was also the architect of a defense that caused problems for the other teams in the AFC.

In 2002, Freeney made a big impression as a rookie by recording 13 sacks, a league-high 20 tackles for loss, and nine forced fumbles. His career would start with that season and continue for four more straight double-digit sack seasons, including an NFL-high 16 in 2004. Using a devastating spin maneuver, Freeney confused opposing offensive lineman and went on to win three All-Pro choices and seven Pro Bowls.

Devin Hester

On his third try as a finalist, Hester concluded his wait to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Thursday night. He is one of the most exciting guys with the ball in league history. As the most accomplished returner in league history, Hester is going to Canton. With 14 punt return touchdowns, Hester holds the league record. She also set a record with five kickoff return touchdowns, one return score, and 20 total return touchdowns. In other words, Hester was a liability anytime he returned a kick, despite being a four-time Pro Bowl player and three-time first-team All Pro. Hester’s return of the opening kickoff in Super Bowl XLI for a touchdown, which gave the Bears an early lead against the eventual champion Colts, is one of the player’s most memorable moments on the largest stage of the game. Hester had a significant career as a receiver as well, with 255 grabs for 3,311 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Andre Johnson

Johnson proved to be among the greatest wide receivers of his time in an era of dominating receivers, even though he struggled with inconsistent play at the quarterback position while playing for the Houston Texans. Over the course of his 14-year career, Johnson recorded seven seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards, including three with more than 1,500 yards. After starting his career as the third overall choice in the 2003 NFL Draft and spending 14 seasons there, Johnson became one of the most accomplished and well-known players in Texans history.

With Matt Schaub starting as quarterback, Johnson made an immediate impression and was selected to the Pro Bowl in his second season. However, his greatest years occurred when Johnson led the league in receiving yards in 2008 and 2009, earning him two All-Pro selections in his career. In addition to having 1,062 career catches and 70 touchdowns, Johnson will enter Canton in his third year of eligibility and be remembered as one of the most competitive players of his generation in the NFL. — Julius Peppers

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Peppers, a two-sport standout at the University of North Carolina, quickly rose to the top of the NFL pass rusher rankings by combining his exceptional size and quickness. After recording 12 sacks, five forced fumbles, and one interception in 12 games for the Carolina Panthers, Peppers was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2002. Though he never led the league in QB takedowns, Peppers’ consistency allowed him to retire fourth all-time in sacks with 159.5, including a franchise-record 97 in Carolina. That season was the first of nine in which he collected at least 10 sacks.

In addition, Peppers is the only player with a minimum of 150 sacks and 10 interceptions, four of which he successfully recovered for a touchdown. Peppers’ durability (he was selected to the Pro Bowl in his 14th season as a member of the Packers) and talent (three first-team All-Pro honors) allowed him to be inducted into Canton in his first year of eligibility.

Patrick Willis

Even though Willis’ career was shorter than that of the typical current Hall of Famer, his significance and brilliance cannot be disputed. In his eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Willis made seven Pro Bowls and was named to the first team of the Pro Football Hall of Fame five times. In 2007, Willis led the league in tackles with an astounding 174, earning him the title of Defensive Rookie of the Year. In six of his eight seasons, Willis had at least 100 tackles (he ended one with 97 and the other season was cut short to only six games due to injury).

A large portion of the NFL world saw Willis’ outstanding play on a national scale when Jim Harbaugh took over as 49ers head coach in 2011. Willis led a strong defense that was the catalyst for three straight visits to the NFC title game. Willis’s lengthy career may have contributed to the fact that he had to endure five selection procedures before learning his name was included in the Canton inductee class.

Randy Gradishar

Gradishar, a premier linebacker of his period, spearheaded the renowned Orange Crush defense that dominated the Rockies during the 1970s and the first part of the 1980s. Gradishar played with the Denver Broncos for ten years, during which he was selected for two first teams All-Pro teams and won seven Pro Bowls. Gradishar, a modern-era finalist in 2003 and 2008, is a senior finalist entering Canton. Gradishar will be admitted on his fourth try as a finalist because he was also a senior finalist for the Centennial Slate in 2020. When Gradishar retired in 1983, he was the all-time top tackler for the Broncos with 2,049 tackles. In addition, he recorded four defensive touchdowns, 13 fumble recoveries, 19.5 sacks, and 20 interceptions. Gradishar’s best season was in 1978, the year he was named Defensive Player of the Year, following his role in leading Denver to their inaugural Super Bowl appearance.

Steve McMichael

“Mongo,” a long-haired roughneck from Texas, rose to prominence as one of Chicago’s most beloved adopted sons, and the senior finalist is now inducted into the Hall of Fame. McMichael, a third-round selection of the Patriots in 1980, would go on to become a dominant player for the Bears and a star on one of the most illustrious teams in NFL history: Chicago’s 1985 Super Bowl champions. Two Pro Bowls and two All-Pro selections were earned by McMichael, who was selected for the first time in the 1985 season. He personified the Bears’ fierce 46 defense, which destroyed opponents on the way to winning Super Bowl XX.  

Throughout the course of 15 seasons, the interior defensive lineman with a superb pass rush had 95 sacks, 847 tackles, and 13 forced fumbles. He spent 13 of those seasons with Chicago and one each with New England and Green Bay before retiring following the 1994 campaign. He was second all-time among defensive linemen with seven years of eight or more sacks. McMichael revealed in 2021 that he had been diagnosed with ALS, but he has since fought the illness and is now acknowledged for his success on the gridiron all those fall seasons ago.

Here is a look at the winners’ award and achievements:

MVP

Jackson’s selection as the NFL’s MVP was expected given that he had been the betting favorite for the previous six weeks.

Jackson is one of a few people to earn NFL Most Valuable Player twice. He became the fifth player in the league’s first six seasons to earn multiple MVP honors. Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Patrick Mahomes, Jim Brown, and others were included.

Jackson was among the top 10 this season in yards per pass attempt (8.0), touchdown-to-interception ratio (3.4), and total QBR (64.7) while leading the Ravens to an NFL-best 13-4 record. Beyond quarterbacks, he also topped the NFL in yards per carry (5.5).

He still ranks as the top dual threat in the NFL with 3,678 passing yards and 821 running yards. He is the first player to score more than 3,000 passes and 800 rushes on several occasions, and he won MVP in both of the seasons he achieved this (2019–20 and 2023–24).

On Christmas, Jackson passed quarterback Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers as the front-runner for MVP after leading Baltimore to a 33-19 victory away from San Francisco. A week later, in a 56-19 blowout of the Miami Dolphins, he effectively sealed the title with five touchdown passes and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. — Hensley Jamison

Player of the Year for Offense

The 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey is a running back.

With the Niners for his first full season, McCaffrey had one of the most prolific seasons in both team and league history. Throughout his 16 games, he topped the NFL in scrimmage yards per game (126.4), scrimmage touchdowns (21), running yards (1,459), first downs (114), and 10-plus yard runs (44).

With those performances, McCaffrey was able to enter the NFL record books, win a spot in the Pro Bowl, and be named to the first team of the AP All Pros. With a receiving and running touchdown in the same game, McCaffrey increased his career total to 15, which is tied with Marshall Faulk for the most in league history. He also made NFL history by being the third player to record more than 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season while playing for two different teams.

“Everyone knows those gym rats who never stop working out. One of the most gifted players in the game is a guy like that that we have,” stated Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan. — Wagoner, Nick

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Player of the Year for Defense

Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett

Garrett eventually overcame his early disappointment to win his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year title, having been a contender for several years.

With fourteen sacks, he only came in eighth. However, Garrett led the NFL’s top defense throughout the regular season. Among numerous other measures, the Browns lead the league in three-and-out percentage (32.9%), yards per game allowed (267), and defensive efficiency. Garrett faced the third-highest double-team percentage (28.8%), but he also finished second in pass rush victory rate (30.5%).

The Browns concluded the season with a four-game winning streak that included a Dec. 28 victory against the Jets that sealed the playoffs. Only Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt has more than 20 pass-rush victories during that time frame than Garrett’s 35.

“I understand that sack totals are the main focus,” general manager Andrew Berry stated. “That doesn’t really cover everything. He performed really well for us in the closing minutes.” — Jake Trotter

Offensive Rookie of the Year

C.J. Stroud | QB | Houston Texans

Stroud’s numerous rookie records, which he either established or matched, earned him this honor. The former star quarterback from Ohio State became the first quarterback selected in the first two rounds of the draft since 1967, and he also led the Texans to their first divisional championship since 2019. He also became the youngest winner of a postseason game with the victory, surpassing Michael Vick.

Stroud broke the record for the most throw attempts made to begin a career without an interception (191). In addition to maintaining that momentum, he led the league in touchdowns to interceptions (23:5).

With 4,108 passing yards at the end of the regular season, he was third among rookies, behind only Andrew Luck (4,374 in 2012) and Justin Herbert (4,336 in 2020). In Week 9’s game against the Tampa Bay Bucs, he set a rookie record with the most throwing yards ever—470 yards. — DJ Bien-Aime, the year’s defensive rookie.

Houston Texans’ Will Anderson Jr., a DE

Upon joining the Texans, Anderson aimed to establish a norm that the rookies’ role was to “transform the culture.” When he recorded a sack of Jackson in Week 1, he had an instant effect.

His sack totals decreased, but he was still in the upper echelons of advanced analytics. In terms of pass rush victory percentage (25.8%), the No. 3 choice was rated third. Among defensive ends with at least 400 snaps, he was sixth in run-stop victory rate (36%), which had an effect on the run game as well.

He missed two games due to an ankle injury, but he still ended the season with seven sacks, ten tackles for loss, and twenty-two quarterback hits. — Bien-Aime DJ

Coach of the Year

Cleveland Browns | Kevin Stefanski

Since joining the NFL again in 1999, the Browns have only made three trips to the postseason. Stefanski was the head coach for two of those, winning Coach of the Year in both (2020 included).

Despite a challenging regular season, Stefanski led Cleveland to an 11-6 record. Numerous important players for the Browns sustained season-ending injuries, including running back Nick Chubb (knee) and quarterback Deshaun Watson (shoulder).

Cleveland also made history by being the first club to start five different quarterbacks in a single season since 1987. Nevertheless, the five times the Browns scored a winning touchdown in the last two minutes of regulation, they established a franchise record.

“Kevin is the first,” stated general manager Berry. “He led and managed through difficulties and adversity this year in a way that was just amazing. I am certain that with him, our organization is in very capable hands going forward.” — Jake Trotter

Player of the Year for Comeback

Joe Flacco: Quarterback, Cleveland Browns

Throughout the summer, preseason, and first part of the regular season, Flacco remained unsigned. However, after Watson suffered a shoulder injury that ended the season, the 39-year-old former Super Bowl MVP finally got his shot.

On November 20, Flacco became a Cleveland player. After two weeks, he received his first NFL start with the Browns, making history as the only quarterback to toss for multiple touchdowns and over 250 yards in his first five games after joining a new club. Flacco also set a league record with 1,616 passing yards across those five starts.

Cleveland won four straight games with Flacco starting as quarterback to secure its first postseason trip since 2020.

In the wake of Cleveland’s 45-14 playoff defeat to the Houston Texans, he remarked, “I felt extremely blessed to become part of this squad.” “I am really appreciative that I get the opportunity to work with those men on this.” — Jake Trotter

Sources:
https://www.espn.in/nfl/story/_/id/39465861/2024-nfl-honors-won-league-biggest-awards
https://www.nfl.com/news/pro-football-hall-of-fame-class-of-2024-revealed-at-nfl-honors

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