It started out as a locker-room spitballing session, a couple of Ivy League football players trying to solve for hydration.

Sunday, more than a decade and many late nights and early mornings later, Garrett Waggoner and Andy Gay’s brainchild will be unveiled on the biggest commercial gridiron of them all.

The co-founders of Cirkul will enjoy a significant full circle moment, when a 30-second spot for their flavored water will air during the Super Bowl.

It’s a big game debut rich in symbolism: Cirkul distributed its first product in 2018, just a few years after Waggoner was parking cars in between his two seasons playing football for Winnipeg of the CFL and Gay was selling shoes, both hoping to gain a foothold with investors to provide a proof of concept.

By 2022, after multiple investment rounds, Cirkul exceeded a $1 billion valuation.

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And after the brand enjoyed a boost from TikTok virality and gained a foothold at Walmart and other massive distributors, the group felt it was time to strike on Super Sunday, symbolically completing a dizzying rise.

“Even a couple-few years ago,” says Waggoner, “Andy and I were in the warehouse, packing boxes.

“To be on the biggest stage, yeah, it’s pretty humbling.”

They’re scarcely going it alone.

Thanks in part to Cirkul chief marketing officer Steve Battista, the group reeled in director Peter Berg, well-known cinematically but also a veteran of multiple long-form Super Bowl commercials for the NFL.

And to connect with the audience, the crew brought aboard comedian and former ‘Pitch Perfect’ star Adam DeVine, cast opposite his wife, actress Chloe Bridges, aiming to execute a vision the founders concocted over the long haul.

“A lot of early mornings, a lot of 3 a.m., 4 a.m. brainstorming sessions,” says Gay. “We had a lot of ideas we wanted to fit in and (Battista) kept banging us on the head, saying, ‘Guys, it’s 30 seconds, 30 seconds.”

They were in good hands.

‘Poetry in motion’

Berg, the creative force behind both the ‘Friday Night Lights’ movie and celebrated TV series, cut his commercial teeth by helming a pair of two-minute Super Bowl spots for the NFL; he’ll have a third featured in this year’s game.

Yet Cirkul – not even a decade old – presented a significant challenge that the hoary NFL didn’t: Connecting a nascent product with a largely unknowing audience.

“They had all the accompanying anxiety that comes with trying to launch a new product and go all in on a Super Bowl spot,” Berg said of the Cirkul gang. “You knew they were making a pretty large commitment and I wanted to help them take that quite seriously.

“The biggest challenge was helping them get through the pressure of the moment. It’s a huge commitment financially and as far as reputation goes, you can’t walk it back. You’re proclaiming something is legit, on the biggest stage in the world.

“People are maybe a little tense. You can feel the pressure. That’s what I like about Super Bowl spots – everybody’s sitting up a little straighter and breathing a little shorter.”

They were certainly all ears.

Waggoner was a hard-hitting safety at Dartmouth, got a brief look in Detroit Lions camp and then played two seasons for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Gay was a reserve quarterback at Dartmouth and both, naturally, were big fans of Berg’s football work on the big and small screen.

They were relatively awestruck seeing his handiwork up close.

“It was our first time being on set with someone of his caliber,” says Gay. “He’d throw out suggestions or tweaks or ideas and you’d be like, ‘Oh, let’s see how it goes,’ and it would just be perfect, and bring the entire spot to life, and get so much more out of the limited time and scenes we have to play with in that 30-second mark.”

Says Waggoner: ‘It was like seeing what one of the best quarterbacks of all time was like on the field. Small nuances, different tweaks, talking off-set to different talent. It was poetry in motion.”

Time for a ‘big bet’

Berg says in working with emerging products like Cirkul, “you have to let the brand land.” That’s been a near decadelong process for a product that touts sustainability and health, along with the consumer’s freedom to dial up the flavor in their water.

Now, thanks in no small part to shrewd online marketing, Cirkul is in Walmart and Target, available on Amazon, credible with young consumers.

Waggoner says Cirkul’s aided brand awareness – or the measure of how many people can recognize a brand when prompted – is just 20%. Yet its widespread availability made now the time to strike.

“At this point in our life cycle, it makes sense to make a big bet,” he says. “We’re fully widely distributed now, in all the places where customers would think about shopping.”

The group is confident in Sunday’s final product, and will connect what they believe is a unique product with a similarly splashy spot.

“What we’ve got cooked up is something I don’t think people have ever seen before,” says Waggoner. “And we’re really excited to see how America reacts.”

The NCAA has lost its common sense, along with its spine.

A day after President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning transgender women from playing sports, the NCAA threw the handful of them to the wolves. In doing so, however, NCAA president Charlie Baker and Co. inadvertently revealed what a farce this actually is.

While banning transgender women from competition, the NCAA’s edict late Thursday said they could still practice with women’s teams. Male practice players are still allowed, too. Which is funny, because the physical safety of cisgender women is one of the “reasons” the transphobes have used to justify their efforts to ban transgender women.

So, which is it? If transgender women pose a physical threat during games, wouldn’t they also during practice? And for sure wouldn’t male practice players? If transgender women are really just crafty men looking to groom and assault women, wouldn’t they still be able to do that? Couldn’t the male practice players do that, as well?

It’s circular logic. But malevolent circular logic that is only going to further demonize the “less than 10” transgender athletes there are in the NCAA.

Great job, Charlie. Don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back for what you described as “clarity,” when it’s really cowardice, sacrificing already-vulnerable kids so the president and his minions won’t put you on their enemies list.

There was a time when the NCAA was fearless in standing up to bigotry. It refused to put championship events in South Carolina for almost 15 years because the state continued to embrace racism, flying a Confederate flag over the Statehouse. It yanked events out of North Carolina over a bill that forced transgender people to use bathrooms of the sex they were assigned at birth.

And when Indiana enacted a “religious freedom” bill that was just a cover to allow discrimination against gays and lesbians, NCAA then-president Mark Emmert’s forceful denunciation led to a walkback within days.

“The NCAA national office and our members are deeply committed to providing an inclusive environment for all our events,’ Emmert said at the time. “We are especially concerned about how this legislation could affect our student-athletes and employees.’

My, how times have changed. Now the NCAA’s only concern is covering its ass.

The transphobes want you to believe that there is an army of transgender women banging on the doors of every gym and playing field, at every level of sports. They want you to believe these athletes are superhuman, so much so that they’ll eventually crowd cisgender women out of sports. They want you to believe transgender women are a threat to your daughters’ bodies and virtue.

Rather than buying into the hysteria, take a step back. You parents of girls in youth sports, how many transgender kids do you know on your daughter’s team or in her league? Actually know, not just assume because someone has short hair or you’ve heard gossip. You college athletes, how many transgender athletes have you come across in your career?

The International Olympic Committee and NCAA had protocols allowing transgender participation for more than a decade. And, last time I checked, cisgender women are still competing. Still standing on podiums with medals around their necks. The hysteria is exactly that – hysteria.

And don’t get me started on the science. Or lack thereof. Asserting that transgender women have an advantage because cisgender men do is both inaccurate and lazy. To know how transgender women compare with cisgender women, you actually have to compare them, and there are very few studies that have. One that did showed it’s the transgender women who might be disadvantaged.

This fear, this meanness, this witch hunt has always been a solution in search of a problem. Transgender women are not a threat. They’re not ogres. They’re not overrunning sports now or ever.

These are girls and young women who want to compete and play with their friends, same as cisgender girls and young women, and the NCAA is telling them to go away. That they’re not welcome. That it believes all the awful things the transphobes have said about them.

“Schools (are) directed to foster welcoming environments on all campuses,” the NCAA’s headline said.

Oh, I’m sure that will make the “less than 10” — again, Baker’s own words — transgender athletes feel so much better now! The NCAA is offering transgender athletes the equivalent of thoughts and prayers after throwing them under the bus and encouraging the transphobes to double-down on their efforts to eradicate them completely from society.

Because that’s what this really is. The Trump administration is trying to ensure there is no safe space for transgender people outside their homes. Not in the military, not at work, not at their doctor’s offices and now, not on the playing fields.

Part of the power of sports is that they teach us life lessons. Sadly, the NCAA has made it so intolerance and ignorance are now among them.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

LeBron James has been compared to Michael Jordan practically since the moment James entered the NBA as the first pick in the 2003 draft.

Over 20 years later, James joined M.J. in an exclusive club Thursday night, becoming just the second player in NBA history after Jordan to score over 40 points in a game at 40 years old.

James, who turned 40 on Dec. 30, put up an impressive line of 42 points, 17 rebounds, eight assists with a steal and a block in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 win over the Golden State Warriors. He’s now the oldest player to ever record a 40-point game.

Jordan scored 43 points in a Washington Wizards win over the New Jersey Nets on Feb. 21, 2003, four days after his 40th birthday. M.J. retired for good after the season.

James was asked about the accomplishment after the game.

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‘What do I think? That I’m old,’ James said with a laugh, adding he ‘needs a glass of wine and some sleep.’

James said moments like this are ‘always humbling.’

‘I love the game so much, so, it’s pretty cool,’ James said.

The win was the Lakers’ fourth in a row, and they may soon get Luka Doncic into the lineup for the first time. Warriors star Steph Curry scored 37 points in the loss.

Josh Allen won the playoff battle against Lamar Jackson. Now, the Buffalo Bills quarterback has bested his counterpart on the Baltimore Ravens on another front.

On Thursday at NFL Honors in New Orleans, Allen was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2024 season. He received 27 first-place votes, while Jackson captured the remaining 23.

Allen won the award for the first time in his career after finishing second to Aaron Rodgers in 2020 as well as third in 2022 and fifth in 2023. He becomes the Bills’ third winner following O.J. Simpson in 1973 and Thurman Thomas in 1991.

Allen is also the first player since Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway in 1987 to be chosen as outright MVP despite not being named a first-team All-Pro. Jackson beat him out for that honor, with Allen taking the second-team slot. Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was also a second-team All-Pro selection in 2003, when he split MVP honors with Peyton Manning.

Afterward, Allen said he was taken aback by the result.

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“Yeah, I was pretty surprised,’ Allen said, ‘given what we know about, typically, how the voting goes. Lamar was very deserving of this award as well. I have nothing but love and respect for him and his game.”

In his seventh season, Allen threw for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns while recording a career-low six interceptions. He also added 531 rushing yards and 12 scores on the ground.

Despite an offseason of transition that saw Buffalo part with top targets Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis among other key pieces, Allen managed to lead the Bills to a 13-4 mark and the No. 2 seed in the AFC. The Bills handled the Denver Broncos in the wild-card round and edged the Ravens in the divisional round before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game.

This story has been updated with additional information.

Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s former longtime interpreter and confidant, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison on Thursday after stealing nearly $17 million from baseball’s two-way global superstar to pay off sports gambling debts.

Mizuhara, 40, utilized his proximity to Ohtani’s personal information and his role tending to many of the superstar’s off-field affairs to siphon funds from accounts and, as prosecutors allege, impersonate Ohtani in bank communications.

The court also ordered Mizuhara to pay Ohtani $17 million in restitution, the applicable amount listed when Mizuhara struck a May 2024 plea deal with prosecutors, and a fine of more than $1 million to the Internal Revenue Service.

Ohtani’s attorney, Michael Freedman, sought a sentence of just 18 months while the prosecution recommended the 57-month sentence. In siding with the prosecution, Judge John W. Holcomb said Mizuhara’s letter to the Santa Ana, California court ‘undermined’ his credibility due to omissions and misrepresentations.

Revelations of Mizuhara stealing from Ohtani emerged in March 2024 during a federal investigation into a California bookmaker. It shattered a decadelong alliance between Ohtani and Mizuhara, who smoothed Ohtani’s transition to Major League Baseball when he joined the Los Angeles Angels in 2018.

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Mizuhara’s theft came before Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers took effect last year. Yet Ohtani earned around $65 million in salary during his six years with the Angels, and tens of millions more in endorsements.

In court Thursday, Holcomb termed the magnitude of the theft ‘shockingly high,’ according to The Associated Press, and acknowledged that it ‘remains to be seen’ whether Mizuhara can repay Ohtani.

Mizuhara, investigators say, began accessing Ohtani’s accounts in 2021 and gained the ability to approve wire transfers, which Mizuhara utilized to feed what he termed a gambling addiction and a “terrible mistake” in his plea for leniency.

Federal prosecutors pushed back on that characterization, saying Mizuhara did not have an addiction and casting doubt on his remorse. They said there was little evidence Mizuhara frequently gambled before accessing Ohtani’s accounts and said his pleas for leniency were “self-serving and uncorroborated statements to the psychologist he hired for the purposes of sentencing.’

In court Thursday, Mizuhara did not dispute that he misreprented himself as Ohtani in bank communications. He apologized to Ohtani before sentencing.

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Kim Caldwell beat the legend. She humbled the UConn brand. She planted her flag. She made the Lady Vols a player again.
First-year coach Kim Caldwell delivers Tennessee’s first win against UConn since 2007, just 17 days after giving birth to baby boy.
‘We maybe outworked them,’ Kim Caldwell says after Lady Vols beat UConn for signature win.

Incredible, truly, what Kim Caldwell achieved 17 days after giving birth to a baby boy, partway through her first season coaching a job with uncompromising expectations.

She beat the legend. She humbled UConn. She planted her flag.

And when it was finished, this 80-76 Tennessee triumph over No. 5 UConn, the crowd cheered so vigorously and “Rocky Top” blared so loudly you could hardly hear a word Caldwell said during her postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe.

“We maybe outworked them,” Caldwell said.

Outsmarted them and outplayed them, too.

The rest of what she said, I couldn’t decipher.

Her words hardly mattered. The look on her face and the elation in the stands told the story.

The Lady Vols are a player again. Finally.

Fitting, really, that Tennessee delivered that message by toppling Geno Auriemma’s proud program.

This rivalry once defined women’s sports. What better way for No. 17 Tennessee to prove it’s real, to prove its 36-year-old sideline general who coached at Marshall just 10 months ago and at Division II Glenville State just 23 months ago, is for real, than to beat the program that supplanted Pat Summitt’s Lady Vols as women’s basketball’s superpower?

Used to be, when these teams met with their unmatchable collection of All-America talent and incomparable blend of coaching legends, the result hinted at a national champion to come.

Let’s not confuse this matchup with that which came before. This felt more like a clash worthy of the Sweet 16, but don’t let that diminish this whirlwind revitalization Caldwell engineered for women’s basketball’s bluest of blue bloods, which spent too long punching below its weight and last reached an Elite Eight nine years ago.

Tennessee nearly broke through a month ago, when it missed a shot at the buzzer against LSU – a top-five opponent on the shortlist of national champion contenders – that would have sent the game to overtime.

Heartbreaking losses, though, happened often enough before Caldwell. The Lady Vols needed to finish. This time, they did.

To put the game away, Talaysia Cooper drove past her defender before dishing to Zee Spearman for a contested bucket at the rim.

An apt finish. UConn struggled to defend the Lady Vols off the bounce all night and couldn’t handle them in the paint.

The result would have been more lopsided, too, if Tennessee hadn’t missed so many good looks from 3-point range. UConn handled Tennessee’s full-court pressure well enough. The Huskies didn’t fumble this away so much as Tennessee took it from them.

And although the Lady Vols didn’t shoot to their average from distance, they made clutch buckets and controlled the paint, while UConn piled up the clanks. Star point guard Paige Bueckers kept UConn in range with an array of sweet passes, but she lost her shooting touch, and that left the Huskies with too few reliable scoring weapons.

Truth be told, I think Auriemma worried this result might be coming. When we spoke a few days ago, he questioned whether his team possessed the requisite pieces of a national championship squad, and, to be sure, the Huskies beared little resemblance to the South Carolina squad that squashed Tennessee 10 days ago. He fretted about UConn’s youthful presence on the interior.

“I think our big guys are too young,” Auriemma told me Monday, “and I think if they grow up all of a sudden, then we have a better chance.”

Those Huskies didn’t grow up on this night, and Tennessee’s budding coach seized the limelight with her collection of transfers, coupled with holdovers she retained from her underachieving predecessor.

And when the final buzzer sounded, one of those transfers, Samara Spencer, just wanted to hug somebody. She ran into Caldwell’s embrace, and surely that wouldn’t be the last hug Tennessee’s coach enjoyed after the Lady Vols’ first win against UConn since 2007.

“I want to go home and see my baby boy,” Caldwell said afterward.

Tell him about the night you bested Auriemma, the night your Lady Vols savored a win sweeter than they’d tasted in ages.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

Ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl 59 curtain call, the NFL put a bow on the 2024 season by handing out its most prestigious individual awards.

Thursday’s NFL Honors in New Orleans recognized the top performers from the past campaign, from Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year to Most Valuable Player, with the highest on-field honor delivering the most drama. The Pro Football Hall of Fame also unveiled its smallest class in 20 years, with Eli Manning being among the notable names who were omitted.

Here’s a full rundown of all the major award winners as well as how the voting panned out.

NFL MVP: Bills QB Josh Allen

Josh Allen won the playoff battle against Lamar Jackson. Now, the Buffalo Bills quarterback has bested his counterpart on the Baltimore Ravens on another front.

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On Thursday at NFL Honors in New Orleans, Allen was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2024 season.

Allen won the award for the first time in his career after finishing second to Aaron Rodgers in 2020 as well as third in 2022 and fifth in 2023. He becomes the Bills’ third winner following O.J. Simpson in 1973 and Thurman Thomas in 1991.

Allen is also the first player since Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway in 1987 to be chosen as the outright MVP despite not being named a first-team All-Pro. Jackson beat him out for that honor, with Allen taking the second-team slot.

NFL MVP voting

Walter Payton Man of the Year: Jaguars DE Arik Armstead

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead has been selected as the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award for 2024.

Armstead established the Armstead Academic Project in 2019 to provide young students ‘with positive spaces, tools, and academic support to unlock their potential and achieve their goals.’

Armstead has been active in the Jacksonville community after signing with the team in March as well as in San Francisco and his hometown of Sacramento throughout his career.

A five-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, Armstead becomes the second Jaguars player in the last six years to win the award after Calais Campbell took it home in the 2019 season.

“Arik’s leadership, dedication to his team, and commitment to his community truly embody Walter Payton’s enduring legacy of excellence on the field and compassion off it,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Since joining the league 10 years ago, Arik has made it his mission to empower youth by providing them with the resources and support they need to thrive. We are extremely proud to name Arik Armstead as our 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.’

NFL Coach of the Year: Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell

Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is being honored after navigating a year of substantial change.

In his third year at the helm, O’Connell led the Vikings to their second-most wins (14) in franchise history despite subbing in quarterback Sam Darnold for Kirk Cousins, who left in free agency. Darnold threw for a career-high 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns for a team that came within one game of securing the NFC’s top playoff seed.

O’Connell beat out the Detroit Lions’ Dan Campbell, Denver Broncos’ Sean Payton Washington Commanders Dan Quinn and Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid.

NFL Coach of the Year voting

Kevin O’Connell: 25 first-place votes

Dan Campbell: 19

Andy Reid: 4

Sean Payton: 1

Dan Quinn: 1

Pro Football Hall of Fame 2025 class

Eric Allen
Jared Allen
Antonio Gates
Sterling Sharpe

That means no Eli Manning for the smallest class since 2005. Among the other notable snubs were Terrell Suggs, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Marshal Yanda, as well as coaching finalist Mike Holmgren.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year: Rams OLB Jared Verse

Jared Verse began his NFL career as the fourth defensive player taken in the 2024 NFL draft, but he’s ending it by finishing first in another measure.

The Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

Verse, the No. 19 overall pick out of Florida State, stepped in to help fill the massive void left in the Rams’ pass rush by Aaron Donald’s retirement. He recorded 66 tackles with 4 ½ sacks and led all rookies with 18 quarterback hits and 77 pressures. He came on strong in the playoffs, returning a fumble 57 yards for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings and notching two sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.

Verse beat out Eagles cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, Miami Dolphins edge rusher Chop Robinson and Rams teammate Braden Fiske for the honor. 

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting

NFL Comeback Player of the Year: Bengals QB Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow will leave NFL Honors with one piece of hardware.

The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, who was also a finalist for MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.

Burrow led the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and touchdowns (43) after tearing a ligament in his wrist in 2023, forcing him to miss the final seven games of the season. Having also won the award in 2021 after returning from a torn ACL that cut short his rookie season, he becomes just the second two-time winner after Chad Pennington, who claimed it with the New York Jets in 2006 and Miami Dolphins in 2008.

The other finalists for the award were Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins, New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

‘I don’t think anybody was playing any better than I was this year,’ Burrow said. ‘I doubt I win the award, but I think I was playing my best ball.’

NFL Comeback Player of the Year voting

NFL Offensive Player of the Year: Eagles RB Saquon Barkley

Before he makes his push for the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, Saquon Barkley claimed another piece of hardware.

After signing a three-year contract with the Eagles in March, Barkley took over as offensive engine for the eventual NFC champions. With 2,005 yards on the year, he came within striking distance of Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, but Eagles coach Nick Sirianni sat him for the Week 18 matchup given that Philadelphia was locked into the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

Barkley can make more history on Sunday, as he is just 30 yards away from breaking Terrell Davis’ record for rushing yards in a single season including the playoffs (2,476) after racking up 442 yards in his first three postseason games. 

NFL Offensive Player of the Year voting

Saquon Barkley: 35 first-place votes

Lamar Jackson: 12

Derrick Henry: 1

Joe Burrow: 1

Josh Allen: 1

NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Broncos CB Pat Surtain II

Pat Surtain II is adding an honor few of his positional peers throughout recent NFL history can claim.

The Denver Broncos cornerback was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year for 2024. Surtain becomes just the third cornerback since 1995 to win the award, following Charles Woodson in 2009 and Stephon Gilmore in 2019. 

The other finalists were Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson.

Surtain was a key piece of the Broncos’ defensive surge, which helped Denver break an eight-year playoff drought that ranked as the league’s second longest active absence from the postseason. He recorded four interceptions and 11 passes defensed while providing a lockdown presence on the back end of the unit.

‘This is a surreal feeling, honestly,’ Surtain said after accepting the award. ‘This is something that I worked for this offseason and I manifested it. To see it happen is a dream come true, honestly. I’m very grateful and blessed. It’s all technique and film study and all being the best version of myself.’

NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels

The NFL’s most obvious award choice is now official. 

Daniels narrowly missed out on a unanimous win, with Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers claiming one of the 50 votes.

The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 pick in last year’s draft was the catalyst of a remarkable turnaround for Washington, which went from 4-13 last year to 12-5 in Daniels and coach Dan Quinn’s first season. While Daniels won the award for his regular-season accomplishments, he continued to make his mark in the postseason, helping the Commanders win their first playoff game in 19 years with a close call against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He then engineered an upset of the top-seeded Detroit Lions to push the team to its first NFC title game in 33 years.

Daniels’ 14 games won including the postseason tied Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers, 2004) for the most by a rookie, and he became just the fourth first-year quarterback to win multiple playoff games. 

Along the way, Daniels set the marks for highest completion rate by a qualified rookie quarterback (69%) and rushing yards in a season by a first-year passer (891). His 100.1 passer rating also stands as the fourth-highest mark for a player in his opening campaign. 

‘It means a lot,’ Daniels said after winning the award. ‘Everybody was deserving finalists for Offensive Rookie of the Year. It’s a blessing and an honor. It’s nothing but hard work and preparation. When you lock in for one year, your life can change.’

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting

Jayden Daniels: 49 first-place votes

Brock Bowers: 1

What time is NFL Honors?

NFL Honors will be held at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 6.

How can I watch NFL Honors? TV info, channel

NFL Honors will be broadcast live on FOX and NFL Network, and it also will be available to stream on NFL+ and Fubo.

Who is hosting NFL Honors?

Snoop Dogg will host the awards ceremony.

NFL MVP finalists

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

NFL Offensive Player of the Year finalists

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalists

Zack Baun, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns
Trey Hendrickson, DE, Cincinnati Bengals
Patrick Surtain II, CB, Denver Broncos
T.J. Watt, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finalists

Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year finalists

Cooper DeJean, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
Braden Fiske, DE, Los Angeles Rams
Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
Chop Robinson, LB, Miami Dolphins
Jared Verse, LB, Los Angeles Rams

NFL Comeback Player of the Year finalists

Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England Patriots
Damar Hamlin, S, Buffalo Bills

NFL Coach of the Year finalists

Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings
Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders
Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

NFL Assistant Coach of the Year finalists

Joe Brady, offensive coordinator, Buffalo Bills
Vic Fangio, defensive coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles
Brian Flores, defensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings
Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator, Detroit Lions
Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator, Detroit Lions

Which awards will be handed out at NFL Honors?

AP Most Valuable Player
AP Coach of the Year
AP Comeback Player of the Year
AP Offensive Player of the Year
AP Defensive Player of the Year
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
NFL Inspire Change Tribute
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024
FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Year
Salute to Service Award
NFL Latino Youth Honors
Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award
Deacon Jones Sack Leader Award
AP Assistant Coach of the Year
NFL Fan of the Year
NFL FLAG Players of the Year award