The Defensive Player of the Year Award is given by the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
(AP) to the most outstanding defensive player in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
(NFL) at the end of every season. It has been awarded since 1971. The winner is decided by votes from a panel of 50 AP sportswriters. Since 2011, the award has been presented at the annual
NFL Honors ceremony the day before the
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...
, along with other AP awards, such as the
AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award,
AP NFL Most Valuable Player Award
The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award is presented annually by the Associated Press (AP) to a player in the National Football League (NFL) deemed to have been the " most valuable" in that year's regular season. While there hav ...
, and
AP NFL Rookie of the Year Award.
Lawrence Taylor,
J. J. Watt
Justin James Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Michigan and Wisconsin and was drafted by the Houston Texans i ...
, and
Aaron Donald are the only three-time winners of the award.
Joe Greene,
Ray Lewis
Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who played as a middle linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens for his entire 17-year career in the National Football League (NFL). He played ...
,
Mike Singletary,
Bruce Smith, and
Reggie White have each won it twice. Taylor is the only player to win the award as a
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
, doing so in 1981. In 2008,
James Harrison became the only
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...
to win the award. White is the only player to win the award with two different teams, winning in 1987 with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
and again with the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...
in 1998.
[ J. J. Watt is the only player to win the award unanimously, receiving 50 out of 50 first place votes in 2014.][ He was also a near-unanimous winner in 2012 as he earned 49 out of 50 votes.][
As of the end of the 2021 NFL season, linebackers have won the award 17 times, more than any other position. A ]defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...
has won thirteen times, followed by ten defensive tackles, six cornerbacks, and five safeties. Only two winners of the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award have also won the AP's Most Valuable Player Award for the same season: defensive tackle Alan Page in 1971 for the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
and linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986 for the New York Giants. T. J. Watt is the incumbent holder of the award, winning it for the 2021 NFL season.
Winners
Multiple Time Winners
See also
* National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award
Several organizations give out NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards that are listed in the ''NFL Record and Fact Book'' and ''Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League''. The Associated Press (AP) has been givi ...
for an overview of similar awards by other organizations
*
* Pro Football Writers Association NFL Defensive Player of the Year
* Kansas City Committee of 101 AFC and NFC Defensive Players of the Year
* Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
References
;General
*
*
*
;Footnotes
{{featured list
National Football League trophies and awards
Associated Press awards