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The Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award returned to the NFL in 2021 as Tom Brady won the honor for the second time. The award encompasses athletes from all sports, and the NFL has been well-represented with winners over the past several decades.
Ten NFL players have won the award, and the list features some legends of the game. Let's take a look at all ten in chronological order.
10 NFL players who have won the SI Sportsperson of the Year award
#10 - Terry Bradshaw, 1979
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw took home the award in 1979. He had just won his first Super Bowl MVP award earlier in the year in what was his third title in Pittsburgh. The award was a fitting one as Bradshaw went on to win the Super Bowl in the 1979 season as well.
Bradshaw took home this award near the end of his career, and it was long overdue for such a legend of the game.
#9 - Reggie Williams, 1987
Reggie Williams is a former linebacker who spent his entire NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. His award, which may seem strange given the other star power on the list, came because of his charitable work off the field. That in itself is arguably a better reason than anything that could take place on the field.
#8 - Joe Montana, 1990
Joe Montana was an easy recipient of the award in 1990. He won his fourth Super Bowl and his third Super Bowl MVP award. He is an NFL legend who also won the NFL MVP award in both 1989 and 1990. Like Bradshaw, Montana was thriving at the tail end of his career and was finally recognized by Sports Illustrated with their annual award.
Montana easily could have won more than once, but he received the award at the best possible time given his career achievements.
#7 - Tom Brady, 2005 and 2021
Here we have our only two-time NFL winner in Tom Brady, who won his first award back in 2005 after winning his third Super Bowl. Brady has now won again in 2021 after guiding his second NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to another title.
The quarterback has won seven Super Bowls and is on track for an eighth this year. There is truly no end to the awards he deserves and winning this one from Sports Illustrated at the age of 44 is well deserved.
#6 - Brett Favre, 2007
Brett Favre winning this award in 2007 is incredibly fascinating. He was not coming off a title or an MVP award, or really anything for that matter. What he did do was play well after having surgery in the offseason near the end of his historic career.
Favre also set a few NFL records, but the way he battled after being beaten down so much over the years essentially made his award win worthy.
Also Checkout: Joe Montana Super Bowl Wins
#5 - Drew Brees, 2010
NFL legend Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl and lifted up an entire region in the process. He was involved in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts for years and won a Super Bowl MVP award as well.
Brees is a legend in New Orleans, and winning the Super Bowl during the 2009 NFL season was just a nice bonus after all the work he did in his new home.
#4 - Peyton Manning, 2013
Peyton Manning did not win a Super Bowl the year he won the award from Sports Illustrated. But he was on pace for his fifth NFL MVP award and ultimately reached the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.
2013 also saw Manning throw for an NFL-record 55 touchdowns in the second stage of his career. Just getting back on the field in general was a minor miracle after the neck injury he suffered in Indianapolis.
#3 - JJ Watt, 2017
JJ Watt took charity to a whole new level following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. What started out as a fun trend saw Watt raise nearly $40 million toward relief efforts in the area.
Life is bigger than football, and Watt represented an NFL superstar who put the community first. This was greater than anything else he ever did in Houston, because there is truly no comparison to these relief efforts.
#2 - Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, 2020
2020 was an interesting year as a long list of athletes won the SI award, which made sense in a year impacted by COVID-19. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif won after not even playing during the 2020 season.
He sat out to work in healthcare as the country battled the virus. He did this after winning a Super Bowl earlier in 2020, becoming a noble NFL star whose legacy will live on for a long time.
#1 - Patrick Mahomes, 2020
Patrick Mahomes joined Duvernay-Tardif as another member of the Kansas City Chiefs to win in 2020. Mahomes' accomplishments make a long list. The most notable was him winning the Super Bowl and being named the game's MVP so early in his career. Mahomes led the Chiefs back to greatness and did so while battling adversity throughout the season.
Mahomes continued his greatness off the field, promoting social causes and using his voice for good. While Duvernay-Tardif was on the frontlines in healthcare, Mahomes was a strong voice in the world of social justice.
Mahomes was still in his early 20s while doing all this both on and off the field, meaning he is a candidate to win this prestigious award again as his career goes on.
