LAS VEGAS — Joe Flacco, who came off the couch to lead the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs, is the AP Comeback Player of the Year.
Flacco beat out Bills safety Damar Hamlin and Buccaneers quarterback (and former Brown) Baker Mayfield. He received 13 first-place votes, 26 second-place votes and eight thirds to finish with 151 points.
"Big thanks to the city of Cleveland and just everybody in Cleveland," Flacco, the first Browns player to ever win the award from any outlet, said upon accepting his trophy. "Thank you to my teammates, just for welcoming me into that locker room at that point in the year."
Flacco, the 39-year-old former Super Bowl MVP with the rival Baltimore Ravens, was home in New Jersey with his family when Cleveland called him in November. He went 4-1 in five starts and passed for over 300 yards in four straight games with 13 touchdowns.
Flacco's efforts helped an injury-riddled Browns team make the playoffs for just the third time since returning to the league in 1999. Unfortunately, the team lost in the wild-card round to the Houston Texans, but Flacco's status as a Cleveland folk hero was secure.
"Thank you to the city, just for making me and my family feel at home for a couple months," he said. "Truly special."
Hamlin returned to the NFL this season after collapsing on the field and needing to be resuscitated following a cardiac arrest on Jan. 2, 2023. He played in five regular-season games. Hamlin received 21 first-place votes but appeared on 42 of 50 ballots while Flacco was on 47. He got seven second-place votes and 14 thirds for 140 points.
First-place votes are worth five points, second-place votes are three and third-place votes are one.
Mayfield, who bounced around from the Browns to the Panthers to the Rams last season, started every game for Tampa Bay and led them to the second round of the playoffs. He got 10 first-place votes and finished with 93 points.
Others receiving first-place votes were: Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (4), Rams QB Matthew Stafford (1) and 49ers QB Brock Purdy (1).
The Browns swept their AP awards at the NFL Honors on Thursday, with Myles Garrett being named Defensive Player of the Year, Kevin Stefanski Coach of the Year, and Jim Schwartz Assistant Coach of the Year.