AP NFL Rookie of the Year

For similar awards by other publications, see List of NFL Rookie of the Year awards.

The AP NFL Rookie of the Year (ROTY) is an annual award presented by the Associated Press (AP) to the top first-year offensive and defensive players in the National Football League (NFL). Winners are selected by a nationwide panel of 50 members of the AP who regularly cover the league.^[1] The AP has chosen an offensive rookie of the year since 1957 and a defensive rookie of the year since 1967. For the 2024 season, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Jared Verse were respectively named the offensive and defensive winners.

AP NFL Rookie of the Year

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, 2024 offensive recipient
Awarded for	Rookie of the year in the NFL
Presented by	Associated Press
History
First award	1957 (Offensive) 1967 (Defensive)
Most recent	Jayden Daniels (Offensive) Jared Verse (Defensive)

Ballots are cast at the end of the regular season and before the playoffs. Since 2011, winners of the AP Rookie of the Year awards are announced at the NFL Honors presentation the night before the Super Bowl along with other AP awards.^[2] While several organizations recognize their own NFL Rookie of the Year, the NFL considers the award given by the AP to be its official honor,^[3] with the winners listed in the league's annual Record and Fact Book.^[4]

Winners

Offensive

List of AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year winners

Season	Player	Position	Team	Ref.
1957	Jim Brown	Running back	Cleveland Browns	[5]
1958	Jimmy Orr	Wide receiver	Pittsburgh Steelers	[6]
1959	Boyd Dowler	Wide receiver	Green Bay Packers	[7]
1960	Gail Cogdill	Split end	Detroit Lions	[8]
1961	Mike Ditka	Tight end	Chicago Bears	[9]
1962	Ron Bull	Running back	Chicago Bears	[10]
1963	Paul Flatley	Wide receiver	Minnesota Vikings	[11]
1964	Charley Taylor	Running back	Washington Redskins	[12]
1965	Gale Sayers	Running back	Chicago Bears	[13]
1966	Johnny Roland	Running back	St. Louis Cardinals	[14]
1967	Mel Farr	Running back	Detroit Lions	[15]
1968	Earl McCullouch	Wide receiver	Detroit Lions	[16]
1969	Calvin Hill	Running back	Dallas Cowboys	[17]
1970	Dennis Shaw	Quarterback	Buffalo Bills	[18]
1971	John Brockington	Running back	Green Bay Packers	[19]
1972	Franco Harris	Running back	Pittsburgh Steelers	[20]
1973	Chuck Foreman	Running back	Minnesota Vikings	[21]
1974	Don Woods	Running back	San Diego Chargers	[22]
1975	Mike Thomas	Running back	Washington Redskins	[23]
1976	Sammy White	Wide receiver	Minnesota Vikings	[24]
1977	Tony Dorsett	Running back	Dallas Cowboys	[25]
1978	Earl Campbell	Running back	Houston Oilers	[26]
1979	Ottis Anderson	Running back	St. Louis Cardinals	[27]
1980	Billy Sims	Running back	Detroit Lions	[28]
1981	George Rogers	Running back	New Orleans Saints	[29]
1982	Marcus Allen	Running back	Los Angeles Raiders	[30]
1983	Eric Dickerson	Running back	Los Angeles Rams	[31]
1984	Louis Lipps	Wide receiver	Pittsburgh Steelers	[32]
1985	Eddie Brown	Wide receiver	Cincinnati Bengals	[33]
1986	Rueben Mayes	Running back	New Orleans Saints	[34]
1987	Troy Stradford	Running back	Miami Dolphins	[35]
1988	John Stephens	Running back	New England Patriots	[36]
1989	Barry Sanders	Running back	Detroit Lions	[37]
1990	Emmitt Smith	Running back	Dallas Cowboys	[38]
1991	Leonard Russell	Running back	New England Patriots	[39]
1992	Carl Pickens	Wide receiver	Cincinnati Bengals	[40]
1993	Jerome Bettis	Running back	Los Angeles Rams	[41]
1994	Marshall Faulk	Running back	Indianapolis Colts	[42]
1995	Curtis Martin	Running back	New England Patriots	[43]
1996	Eddie George	Running back	Houston Oilers	[44]
1997	Warrick Dunn	Running back	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	[45]
1998	Randy Moss	Wide receiver	Minnesota Vikings	[46]
1999	Edgerrin James	Running back	Indianapolis Colts	[47]
2000	Mike Anderson	Running back	Denver Broncos	[48]
2001	Anthony Thomas	Running back	Chicago Bears	[49]
2002	Clinton Portis	Running back	Denver Broncos	[50]
2003	Anquan Boldin	Wide receiver	Arizona Cardinals	[51]
2004	Ben Roethlisberger	Quarterback	Pittsburgh Steelers	[52]
2005	Cadillac Williams	Running back	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	[53]
2006	Vince Young	Quarterback	Tennessee Titans	[54]
2007	Adrian Peterson	Running back	Minnesota Vikings	[55]
2008	Matt Ryan	Quarterback	Atlanta Falcons	[56]
2009	Percy Harvin	Wide receiver	Minnesota Vikings	[57]
2010	Sam Bradford	Quarterback	St. Louis Rams	[58]
2011	Cam Newton	Quarterback	Carolina Panthers	[59]
2012	Robert Griffin III	Quarterback	Washington Redskins	[60]
2013	Eddie Lacy	Running back	Green Bay Packers	[61]
2014	Odell Beckham Jr.	Wide receiver	New York Giants	[62]
2015	Todd Gurley	Running back	St. Louis Rams	[63]
2016	Dak Prescott	Quarterback	Dallas Cowboys	[64]
2017	Alvin Kamara	Running back	New Orleans Saints	[65]
2018	Saquon Barkley	Running back	New York Giants	[66]
2019	Kyler Murray	Quarterback	Arizona Cardinals	[67]
2020	Justin Herbert	Quarterback	Los Angeles Chargers	[68]
2021	Ja'Marr Chase	Wide receiver	Cincinnati Bengals	[69]
2022	Garrett Wilson	Wide receiver	New York Jets	[70]
2023	C. J. Stroud	Quarterback	Houston Texans	[71]
2024	Jayden Daniels	Quarterback	Washington Commanders	[72]

Defensive

List of AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners

Season	Player	Position	Team	Ref.
1967	Lem Barney	Cornerback	Detroit Lions	[15]
1968	Claude Humphrey	Defensive end	Atlanta Falcons	[16]
1969	Joe Greene	Defensive tackle	Pittsburgh Steelers	[73]
1970	Bruce Taylor	Cornerback	San Francisco 49ers	[74]
1971	Isiah Robertson	Linebacker	Los Angeles Rams	[75]
1972	Willie Buchanon	Cornerback	Green Bay Packers	[20]
1973	Wally Chambers	Defensive tackle	Chicago Bears	[76]
1974	Jack Lambert	Linebacker	Pittsburgh Steelers	[77]
1975	Robert Brazile	Linebacker	Houston Oilers	[78]
1976	Mike Haynes	Cornerback	New England Patriots	[79]
1977	A. J. Duhe	Defensive end	Miami Dolphins	[80]
1978	Al Baker	Defensive end	Detroit Lions	[81]
1979	Jim Haslett	Linebacker	Buffalo Bills	[27]
1980	Buddy Curry Al Richardson	Linebacker	Atlanta Falcons	[28]
1981	Lawrence Taylor	Linebacker	New York Giants	[82]
1982	Chip Banks	Linebacker	Cleveland Browns	[83]
1983	Vernon Maxwell	Linebacker	Baltimore Colts	[31]
1984	Bill Maas	Defensive tackle	Kansas City Chiefs	[32]
1985	Duane Bickett	Linebacker	Indianapolis Colts	[84]
1986	Leslie O'Neal	Defensive end	San Diego Chargers	[34]
1987	Shane Conlan	Linebacker	Buffalo Bills	[35]
1988	Erik McMillan	Safety	New York Jets	[36]
1989	Derrick Thomas	Linebacker	Kansas City Chiefs	[37]
1990	Mark Carrier	Safety	Chicago Bears	[38]
1991	Mike Croel	Linebacker	Denver Broncos	[39]
1992	Dale Carter	Cornerback	Kansas City Chiefs	[40]
1993	Dana Stubblefield	Defensive tackle	San Francisco 49ers	[41]
1994	Tim Bowens	Defensive tackle	Miami Dolphins	[42]
1995	Hugh Douglas	Defensive end	New York Jets	[43]
1996	Simeon Rice	Defensive end	Arizona Cardinals	[44]
1997	Peter Boulware	Linebacker	Baltimore Ravens	[45]
1998	Charles Woodson	Cornerback	Oakland Raiders	[85]
1999	Jevon Kearse	Defensive end	Tennessee Titans	[86]
2000	Brian Urlacher	Linebacker	Chicago Bears	[87]
2001	Kendrell Bell	Linebacker	Pittsburgh Steelers	[88]
2002	Julius Peppers	Defensive end	Carolina Panthers	[50]
2003	Terrell Suggs	Linebacker	Baltimore Ravens	[51]
2004	Jonathan Vilma	Linebacker	New York Jets	[89]
2005	Shawne Merriman	Linebacker	San Diego Chargers	[90]
2006	DeMeco Ryans	Linebacker	Houston Texans	[91]
2007	Patrick Willis	Linebacker	San Francisco 49ers	[92]
2008	Jerod Mayo	Linebacker	New England Patriots	[93]
2009	Brian Cushing	Linebacker	Houston Texans	[94]
2010	Ndamukong Suh	Defensive tackle	Detroit Lions	[95]
2011	Von Miller	Linebacker	Denver Broncos	[96]
2012	Luke Kuechly	Linebacker	Carolina Panthers	[97]
2013	Sheldon Richardson	Defensive end	New York Jets	[98]
2014	Aaron Donald	Defensive tackle	St. Louis Rams	[99]
2015	Marcus Peters	Cornerback	Kansas City Chiefs	[100]
2016	Joey Bosa	Defensive end	San Diego Chargers	[101]
2017	Marshon Lattimore	Cornerback	New Orleans Saints	[65]
2018	Shaquille Leonard	Linebacker	Indianapolis Colts	[66]
2019	Nick Bosa	Defensive end	San Francisco 49ers	[102]
2020	Chase Young	Defensive end	Washington Football Team	[103]
2021	Micah Parsons	Linebacker	Dallas Cowboys	[104]
2022	Sauce Gardner	Cornerback	New York Jets	[105]
2023	Will Anderson Jr.	Defensive end	Houston Texans	[106]
2024	Jared Verse	Linebacker	Los Angeles Rams	[107]

See also

• AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year
• AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year