My 2024 NFL awards ballot, from MVP Josh Allen to my all-rookie teams

The 2024 NFL season was a tale of favorites.

The Kansas City Chiefs held serve as the AFC's final boss. The Buffalo Bills, despite shedding several veteran starters, ran away with the AFC East. The Detroit Lions continued their upward trajectory.

In all, it was the chalkiest season in a decade with favorites winning 186 of the 256 games played before a mostly meaningless Week 18. A league known for turnover and parity welcomed only four new teams to the postseason.

Still, some surprises managed to shine. New legends were made. Aging teams began to fade. And incredible performances meant even a fairly predictable season felt special at times.

Let's talk about those performances. As a member of the Pro Football Writers Association, I get to vote on the organization's annual awards -- everything from MVP to all-rookie teams. Let's break down my picks, starting with the top overall regular season award and winding all the way through to 2024's breakout stars.

MVP: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Let's start with the toughest vote on the ballot. Which AFC superstar was truly the most valuable this season?

Lamar Jackson had the better numbers. Josh Allen had the better record. Either was capable of thrashing defenses with devastating runs or perfectly placed deep throws. Both were must-watch television as soon as the ball was snapped.

Jackson had 45 total touchdowns to Allen's 40. He had 5,087 total yards to Allen's 4,369, though the latter hardly played in a meaningless Week 18 loss to the New England Patriots. Jackson had the higher passer rating (119.6 to 101.4), threw deeper passes on average (8.8 yards of average target distance to 8.4) and was slightly more efficient as a scrambler (9.0 yards per scrambler vs. 8.9).

Allen had a slightly better QBR than Jackson (77.4 to 77.3) took fewer sacks (a 2.8 percent sack rate vs. 4.6) and had a significantly higher expected points added (EPA) per play (0.332 vs. 0.296). Both these players are extremely good. Removing either from the lineup would devastate their offenses.

Ultimately, this came down to an issue of who did more with less. Allen lost Stefon Diggs before 2024 started. His top targets were Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid and Keon Coleman. He could hand the ball to James Cook, who is great but not on Derrick Henry's level. He may not have elevated that crew to Baltimore's lofty heights -- it was the NFL's most efficient offense last fall -- but he took his team, once expected to be locked in a mini-rebuild, on a longer journey than Jackson did.

That swung my decision. I will not be shocked or offended if Jackson wins. He's a wonderful quarterback. I think Allen did slightly more with slightly less and that's how I got here. Either way, the winner will be a deserving link in a chain of greatness.

Offensive player of the year: Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

This award could have gone a few ways and if Barkley hadn't been so undeniably good it would have been Jackson's consolation prize (not that he needs one). But the Philadelphia tailback was the engine behind his team's offensive resurgence, creating passing lanes downfield by forcing opponents to try and clog running ones near the line of scrimmage.

That plan inevitably failed despite defenses' best efforts. Barkley was held to fewer than four yards per carry just twice in 2024. He failed to record at least 100 rushing yards five times in 17 games (including the playoffs) and was limited to fewer than 60 rushing yards in one lonesome game. His 52.5 percent success rate allowed the Eagles to shift to a run-first offense and create the "and-short" situations that helped Philadelphia rank third in the NFL in third down conversions and first on fourth downs.

Defensive player of the year: Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals

Can the NFL's best defender really play for the league's 25th-best defense? That was the concern I had with voting Hendrickson. But in a year of flawed candidates, his dominance was ultimately undeniable.

Hendrickson was the only member of the Cincinnati defense worth double teaming. He led the league with 17.5 sacks -- 3.5 more than second place Myles Garrett and 12.5 more than anyone else on his own team. His 57 quarterback pressures were seven more than second place Zach Allen, who played alongside another All-Pro pass rusher in an elite defense that forced opponents to pick their poison.

Since I'm big on degree of difficulty, that swung a fairly open vote in his favor. Hendrickson excelled despite being the guy in 50-point font on every opponent's game plan that week. This was more than just a great sack number -- it was a man walking through hell in gasoline boots and making it out the other side.

For a second this was a Derek Stingley Jr. vote as a representative of the Houston Texans' game-changing pass defense. Same goes for Kerby Joseph and his ability to keep things together as starters around him were taken out by injury in Detroit. And, of course, Myles Garrett warranted serious consideration -- though he wasn't quite as prolific on a bad AFC North defense as Hendrickson was.

Offensive rookie of the year: Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Bo Nix gave Daniels an honest run for his money. Drake Maye and Caleb Williams had their moments. Bucky Irving capitalized on Tampa Bay's revitalized offensive line and thrived. The wideout triumvirate of Malik Nabers, Ladd McConkey and Brian Thomas Jr. soared despite two members of the group being forced to catch passes from Mac Jones and Tommy DeVito in stretches.

But this was a no doubter. Daniels already ranks 13th in franchise history for most wins as a starting quarterback and he did so with a roster that won four games the year prior. He crushed opponents with deep throws to Terry McLaurin and chain-moving runs (his 891 rushing yards were second only to Lamar Jackson among quarterbacks).

He made Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown game-changing wideouts in stretches. He gave one of the world's most hopeless franchises a light at the end of a tunnel so long most people just assumed it was a dungeon.

2024 was loaded with stud rookies on the offensive side of the ball. None could match the impact Daniels had in Washington.

Defensive rookie of the year: CB Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles

Above, what I said about the Texans' pass defense emerging as their backbone? Kamari Lassiter was a huge part of that along with fellow rookie Calen Bullock and that nearly swung my vote in his direction.

Lassiter's presence punished quarterbacks who thought they could simply avoid Stingley and go about their day. The first year cornerback had a 64.0 passer rating allowed in coverage, fifth-best among all players with at least 50 targets thrown their way. He had three interceptions and allowed just 43.8 percent of passes where he was the nearest defender to be caught. He was a valid runner-up for this award in my eyes.

But Mitchell was balm in Gilead for an Eagles secondary that could have been a pile of ashes in 2024. He stepped into an immediate starting role, got zero quarter from officials as a rookie and still shined. He allowed less than 55 percent of passes thrown his way to be caught and his 6.3 yards per target was roughly on par with Darius Slay atop Philly's leaderboard (Cooper DeJean, it should be noted, was also excellent).

By those powers combined, a defense that ranked 28th in EPA allowed on passing plays in 2023 improved to third place in 2024. Mitchell wasn't the only reason for that -- just the most important one.

That gave him the edge over the Los Angeles Rams impressive pairing of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske (13 sacks, 55 pressures between them) and Miami Dolphin Chop Robinson (six sacks in his final 10 games). Beanie Bishop and Tarheeb Still warranted consideration as well.

If the Green Bay Packers' Edgerrin Cooper had played more this could have been him. He was a lightning bolt after a slow start to his career, serving as a devastating weapon against the run, serving up pressure as an occasional blitzer and rising up in coverage. But he only made four starts this season and played 55 percent of the team's defensive snaps in 2024, leaving him to merely languish on my all-rookie team instead.

Comeback player of the year: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Using the AP definition of "comeback" in this instance means limiting the pool of candidates to guys who were hurt in 2023. Which makes this a bit of a silly award, but whatever. Burrow missed a chunk of last season and still came back to lead the league in passing yards and touchdowns despite one of the league's worst pass protecting offensive lines. His 1.6 percent interception rate was fifth-best among players to start at least seven games.

Most improved player: Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

His revival landed with a thud, but between Weeks 1 and 17 Darnold's 106.7 expected points added (EPA) were ninth-most in the NFL. Which is remarkable, considering he's Sam Darnold.

Coach of the year: Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings

The heart of the Vikings' 14-win season wasn't merely reviving Darnold. After all, the journeyman quarterback had a pretty solid insurance plan in place thanks to the presence of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones and, eventually, a healthy T.J. Hockenson.

Instead, O'Connell worked with Brian Flores to turn an undermanned defense into a wrecking ball. They made a secondary made up of aging veterans and discarded spare parts into the league's scariest unit (in terms of EPA allowed). The Vikings were better than anyone expected. The ability to craft something significantly greater than the sum of its parts is a testament to O'Connell's leadership.

My All-Pro offense:

QB: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

RB: Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

RB: Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens

WR: Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

WR: Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams

TE: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

C: Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens

G: Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs

G: Quinn Meinerz, Denver Broncos

OT: Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

OT: Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions

There isn't much controversy here, but if there's one pick I have to defend it's probably Nacua over Justin Jefferson or Amon-Ra St. Brown. Those guys are both great and Nacua only played nine games this season.

But here's what he did when he was on the field:

• 90 receiving yards per game (third-best in the NFL, 0.2 yards behind Jefferson)

• a 74.5 percent catch rate (fifth best among wideouts with at least 75 targets)

• 3.61 yards per route run (first)

The Rams were 8-3 with him in the lineup and 2-4 without. That was enough to give him an edge on my ballot, but you can make the case for Jefferson or St. Brown convincingly and I could change my mind on any given day. Turns out, all these guys rule.

My All-Pro defense:

DE: Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals

DE: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns

DT: Zach Allen, Denver Broncos

DT: Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers

OLB: Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings

OLB: Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos

ILB: Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles

CB: Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots

CB: Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans

S: Kerby Joseph, Detroit Lions

S: Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers

This is pretty much on-par with the AP's All-Pro team. The exception is Greenard, whose ability to create pressure was vital to Minnesota's defensive success. His 42 pressures were fifth-most in the NFL and 18 hurries tied for second. He wasn't as recognizable as Andrew Van Ginkel in the Twin Cities, but he was the engine that powered his front seven.

My All-Pro special teams:

K: Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers

P: Blake Gillikin, Arizona Cardinals

KR: Kavonte Turpin, Dallas Cowboys

PR: Marvin Mims, Denver Broncos

Special teamer: J.T. Gray, New Orleans Saints

Nothing too bold here. I'd just like to point out Gillikin punted 38 times and had a single touchback while ranking third in the NFL in net yards per punt.

My all-rookie offense:

QB: Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

RB: Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

RB: Tyrone Tracy, New York Giants

WR: Malik Nabers, New York Giants

WR: Brian Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars

TE: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

C: Zach Frazier, Pittsburgh Steelers

G: Dominick Puni, San Francisco 49ers

G: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Las Vegas Raiders

OT: Roger Rosengarten, Baltimore Ravens

OT: Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers

My all-rookie defense:

DL: Braden Fiske, Los Angeles Rams

DL: Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams

DL: T'Vondre Sweat, Tennessee Titans

DL: Chop Robinson, Miami Dolphins

LB: Edgerrin Cooper, Green Bay Packers

LB: Payton Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

LB: Tyrice Knight, Seattle Seahawks

CB: Kamari Lassiter, Houston Texans

CB: Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles

S: Calen Bullock, Houston Texans

S: Evan Williams, Green Bay Packers

This article originally appeared on For The Win: My 2024 NFL awards ballot, from MVP Josh Allen to my all-rookie teams