Philadelphia Eagles quarterback CARSON WENTZ and Los Angeles Rams running back TODD GURLEY were named 2017 FEDEX AIR & GROUND NFL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR. FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the National Football League announced the winners today, February 3, in advance of NFL Honors – a two-hour primetime special airing nationally on NBC the night before Super Bowl LII.
The FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year awards are a culmination of weekly awards presented by FedEx throughout the NFL season. The awards give football fans the ability to honor stand-out quarterback and running back performances each week, which in turn, direct charitable donations to the USO in the name of the winning players. New this year, 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, 2006 FedEx Ground Player of the Year and former San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson served as the primary voice for the program. This is the 15th season FedEx has presented the awards.
- Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz’s 33 touchdown passes were the second-most in the NFL despite missing the final three games of the season due to injury. Wentz threw for 3,296 yards and had the league’s fourth best passer rating at 101.9. A 2018 Pro Bowl selection, Wentz led the Eagles to a 13-3 record and the NFC’s number one seed in the playoffs.
- Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley led the NFL with 2,093 scrimmage yards and 19 total touchdowns. The 2018 Pro Bowl selection set career highs in rushing yards, 1,305, and rushing touchdowns, 13. Gurley is the third different player in NFL history to have at least 2,000 scrimmage yards, 10 rushing touchdowns and more than five touchdown catches in a single season.
Wentz and Gurley were selected from a panel of three finalists in their respective Air and Ground categories. The other FedEx Air NFL Players of the Year finalists were quarterbacks Alex Smith, formerly of of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, while the FedEx Ground NFL Players of the Year finalists included running backs Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs and Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This season, fans voted for more than their favorite player. In honor of the winners’ outstanding play, FedEx is donating $100,000 to the USO – $50,000 in each player’s name. The donation will be used to support the USO, a military support organization dedicated to connecting service members and their families to family, home and country throughout their service to the nation.
As part of the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week program, FedEx supported its commitment to serving the community by making weekly $2,000 donations to the USO in each of the winning player’s names. Overall, FedEx donated a total of $178,000 this season and over $1.7 million to charitable organizations since the program’s inception.
The $100,000 donation is part of FedEx’s larger commitment following the launch of its new global giving platform, FedEx Cares. Coinciding with Super Bowl 50, FedEx announced a $50 million commitment to the pillar of Delivering for Good, which delivers resources where they are needed most. The $50 million commitment is part of the company’s larger $200 million investment in more than 200 communities by 2020 to create opportunities and deliver solutions around the world.
As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx is proud to sponsor the 15th annual FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year Awards. The awards highlight the league’s leaders at the quarterback and running back positions, recognizing the players that consistently deliver the best results throughout the season.
PREVIOUS FEDEX AIR & GROUND NFL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
- (2016) Atlanta Falcons QB MATT RYAN and Dallas Cowboys RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT
- (2015) Arizona Cardinals QB CARSON PALMER and Minnesota Vikings RB ADRIAN PETERSON
- (2014) Green Bay Packers QB AARON RODGERS and Pittsburgh Steelers RB LE’VEON BELL
- (2013) Denver Broncos QB PEYTON MANNING and Philadelphia Eagles RB LESEAN McCOY
- (2012) Denver Broncos QB PEYTON MANNING and Minnesota Vikings RB ADRIAN PETERSON
- (2011) New Orleans Saints QB DREW BREES and Philadelphia Eagles RB LESEAN MCCOY
- (2010) Green Bay Packers QB AARON RODGERS and Kansas City Chiefs RB JAMAAL CHARLES
- (2009) New Orleans Saints QB DREW BREES and Tennessee Titans RB CHRIS JOHNSON
- (2008) New Orleans Saints QB DREW BREES and Minnesota Vikings RB ADRIAN PETERSON
- (2007) Green Bay Packers QB BRETT FAVRE and Jacksonville Jaguars RB FRED TAYLOR
- (2006) New Orleans Saints QB DREW BREES and San Diego Chargers RB LADAINIAN TOMLINSON
- (2005) Cincinnati Bengals QB CARSON PALMER and Seattle Seahawks RB SHAUN ALEXANDER
- (2004) Indianapolis Colts QB PEYTON MANNING and New York Jets RB CURTIS MARTIN
- (2003) Indianapolis Colts QB PEYTON MANNING and Green Bay Packers RB AHMAN GREEN