The National Football League and FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) announced today quarterbacks Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) and Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) are the finalists for the 2019 FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year honors, while running backs Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns), Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans) and Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers) are the finalists for the 2019 FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year.
In the weeks leading up to Super Bowl LIV, fans have the chance to cast their vote for the one quarterback and one running back they feel had the year's best Air & Ground performances. Today through January 30 at 3:00 pm ET, fans can cast their vote for each category at nfl.com/fedex or via a Twitter poll on the @NFL official handle.
As part of the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year program, FedEx will donate $40,000 to the USO - $20,000 in each winning player's name – through FedEx Cares. These donations support the USO Pathfinder® program, which provides transition resources to assist service members and military spouses.
Throughout the 2019-20 season, FedEx made weekly $2,000 donations to the USO in each of the weekly winning players' names. In addition, FedEx supported its commitment to serving the community through the FedEx Football Fellowship, a collaboration of FedEx, the USO, Washington Redskins, and Tennessee Titans to provide on-the-job career experiences to four military spouses or retiring service members, during a season-long internship. The total contribution will amount to $200,000 this season.
FedEx will announce the 2019 FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year winners at NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on Feb. 1, the night before Super Bowl LIV, from 8-10 PM (ET and PT) on FOX.
A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year finalists:
- Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb finished second in the NFL with 1,494 rushing yards in 2019. He became the first Browns running back to rush for more than 1,400 yards in a single season since Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown (1964) and surpassed Brown (2,469 yards) for the most rushing yards through a player's first two seasons in franchise history with 2,490 since entering the NFL in 2018. Chubb was also the only player to record at least 75 scrimmage yards in each of his first 14 games of the 2019 season.
- Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry led the NFL with 1,540 rushing yards and tied for the league-lead with a career-high 16 rushing touchdowns in 2019. Henry was the only running back in the NFL to average more than 100 rushing yards per game (102.7) this season. From Weeks 10-13, he joined Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown (1985), Eric Dickerson (1984) and O.J. Simpson (1976), as well as Adrian Peterson (2012) as the only players to record at least 145 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in three consecutive games in NFL history.
- Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffreyfinished with 2,392 scrimmage yards, the third-most in a single season in NFL history. He broke his own NFL record for the most receptions by a running back in a single season in league history with 116 catches in 2019 and joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (1999) and Roger Craig (1985) as the only players to reach 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season in NFL history. McCaffrey also tied for the NFL lead with 19 total touchdowns (15 rushing, four receiving) in 2019, the second-most in a single season in team history.
A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year finalists:
- Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and ranked third in the league with a career-high 113.3 passer rating. Jackson quarterbacked the league's top scoring offense (33.2 points per game) en route to a 12-game winning streak, the AFC North division title and homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. This season, Jackson joined Ben Roethlisberger (2007) as the only quarterbacks with multiple games with a passer rating of 158.3 – the highest attainable mark – doing so in both Week 1 and Week 10. In addition to his prolific season as a passer, Jackson surpassed Michael Vick (1,039 in 2006) for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season in NFL history with 1,206 yards in 2019.
- Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes passed for 4,031 yards and 26 touchdowns for a 105.3 passer rating this season. Mahomes led a Kansas City offense which led the AFC in passing yards per game (281.1) and finished second in the AFC with 28.2 points per game. He began the season with four touchdown passes of at least 40 yards over his first two games of 2019, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Otto Graham (four in 1952) and Joe Namath (four in 1972), as well as Ryan Fitzpatrick (four in 2018) as the only quarterbacks to record at least four touchdown passes for 40-or-more yards in their team's first two games of a season in NFL history. The third-year quarterback also tied Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner (17 games) for the second-most games with at least 300 passing yards through a player's first three seasons in NFL history.
- Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson passed for 4,110 yards and 31 touchdowns with only five interceptions for a 106.3 passer rating in 2019. Wilson recorded a passer rating of 100 or higher in each of Seattle's first six games of the season, joining Aaron Rodgers (12 games in 2011), Tom Brady (eight in 2007) and Carson Palmer (six in 2005) as the only quarterbacks with a passer rating of 100 or higher in each of their team's first six games of a season in NFL history. Additionally, Wilson became the first quarterback to record at least one touchdown pass without an interception in eight consecutive road games in NFL history this season.
As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx is proud to sponsor the 17th 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 delivered the best results throughout the season.
The $200,000 donation towards the awards is part of FedEx Cares 50 by 50, which aims to positively impact 50 million people around the world by 2023, the 50th anniversary of FedEx. Fans can follow the journey on social media using #fedexcares.
For more information, visit nfl.com/fedex or follow the conversation on Twitter at @NFL.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $69 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 490,000 team members to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. To learn more about how FedEx connects people and possibilities around the world, please visit about.fedex.com.
About the USO
The USO strengthens America's military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. At hundreds of locations worldwide, we are united in our commitment to connect our service members and their families through countless acts of caring, comfort, and support. The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency. Our programs, services and entertainment tours are made possible by the American people, support of our corporate partners and the dedication of our volunteers and staff. To join us in this important mission, and to learn more about the USO, please visit uso.org.
