National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award

The National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award is a number of awards that are given to a National Football League (NFL) player who has become better after a bad season before. The awards have been chosen by some groups, including the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), "Sporting News", and United Press International (UPI). As of the 2022 season, Chad Pennington has been the only player to have won the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award in multiple seasons.
AP Comeback Player of the Year award (1963–1966, 1998–present).
From 1963 to 1966, the award was given to both an NFL and AFL player. No award was given between 1966 and 1998.
PFW/PFWA Comeback Player of the Year award (1972–present).
From 1972 to 1991, the Comeback Player of the Year award was given by "Pro Football Weekly" (PFW) only. PFW and the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) combined their awards from 1992–2012.
UPI Comeback Player of the Year award (1962–1969).
In 1962, United Press International (UPI) chose a comeback player for the first time. The winner, Frank Gifford, had made a comeback from a bad injury from a hit by Chuck Bednarik. The following year, the Associated Press (AP) made a similar award. UPI stopped the award after 1963. They gave it one more time in 1969. The AP did not give out the award from 1967 to 1998.