Quarterbacks TOM BRADYof the New England Patriots, PHILIP RIVERSof the San Diego Chargers and AARON RODGERSof the Green Bay Packers are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year honors, the NFL announced today.
Fans can vote for one player on NFL.com/FedEx until Friday, January 28 at 9 pm ET to determine the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year.
The FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year will be announced on Wednesday, February 2 at a press conference during the week of Super Bowl XLV in North Texas.
Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. FedEx will make a $25,000 donation in each winning player's name to their local Safe Kids coalition during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLV. As part of the program during the season, FedEx supported local Safe Kids coalitions by making weekly $2,000 donations in each of the winning players' names to their communities. The funding was used for pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year, from upgraded crosswalks and safety signs to traffic barriers and educational training for children.
A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year finalists:
- New England's TOM BRADYcompleted* *65.9 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,900 yards and an NFL-best 36 touchdowns. Brady threw only four interceptions in his 492 passes (0.81 percent), marking the third-best interception percentage in NFL history. He owns an active streak of 335 consecutive passes without an interception, the longest streak in NFL history, and passed for at least two touchdowns with no interceptions in the last nine games, the longest streak in league annals. In addition, he became only the seventh player to throw a touchdown pass in all 16 games of a season. He finished the season with a league-high 111.0 passer rating.
- San Diego's PHILIP RIVERS led the NFL with for 4,710 passing yards, the 10th most in a single season. With 2,649 passing yards through Week 8, Rivers set an NFL record for the most passing yards through a quarterback's first eight games of a season. In addition, his 1,562 passing yards during October set an NFL record for the most passing yards in the month. Rivers completed an NFL-leading 66 passes of at least 20 yards, with 12 of those going for touchdowns (second-most in the league). Rivers also set a career high with six 300-yard games and finished the year with a 101.8 passer rating (second-highest in the NFL).
- Green Bay's AARON RODGERSfinished in the top 10 in nearly every major passing category this season, with 3,922 passing yards (seventh), 28 touchdowns (tied for sixth), a 65.7 completion percentage (sixth), 40 25-yard passes (second) and a 101.2 passer rating (third). Rodgers' 3,922 passing yards this season brought his total in three seasons as a starter to 12,394, ranking second in NFL history for the most passing yards by a quarterback in his first three seasons as a starter. Rodgers posted a passer rating of at least 110.0 during Week 9 & Weeks 11 – 13 making him him the only quarterback since 1970 to post a passer rating of at least 110.0 in four consecutive games in back-to-back seasons.
