NFL Honors 2025 awards features several Buffalo Bills

From NFL MVP, to Comeback Player of the Year, Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, and NFL Ultimate Fan honors, there are plenty of Bills reasons to tune in to this year’s Honors presentation.

The NFL Honors 2025 awards ceremony is about to begin, with four members of the Buffalo Bills in contention to take home awards. Three players, and one coach, plus a pair of unforgettable fans, are about to find out if their seasons were memorable enough with AP voters.

Up for awards this evening:

• Quarterback Josh Allen is up for three awards: He’s a finalist (and the betting favorite) for The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player; also FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Year; and the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award
• Safety Damar Hamlin is a finalist for The Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year (his second-consecutive nomination)
• Left Tackle Dion Dawkins is nominated for consideration in the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award (his third-consecutive nomination)
• Offensive coordinator Joe Brady is a finalist for The Associated Press Assistant Coach of the Year
• “The Chefs” Richard “Poo” Peterson & Derrick “Norm” Norman are finalists for 2024 NFL Ultimate Fans of the Year

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AP NFL MVP Finalist — QB Josh Allen

Bills Mafia understands the season Josh Allen had in 2024, and we covered his in-season accolades as they unfolded at a breathless pace. Allen put together perhaps his strongest season yet overall with 41 total touchdowns, completing 307-of-483 attempts for 3,731 yards with 28 passing touchdowns and just six interceptions, and finishing with a passer rating of 101.4. Allen also ran for 531 yards on 102 carries with 12 rushing scores (two fumbles lost); adding another receiving touchdown off a lateral from wide receiver Amari Cooper (stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference).

All told, Allen was named NFL AFC Offensive Player of the Week three different times this past season (Week 3, Week 13, Week 15), and received NFL AFC Player of the Month honors once (Week 4). For his efforts, Allen was voted to his third Pro Bowl, and named an Associated Press Second-Team All-Pro.

This is the fourth time in his career that Allen has been named a finalist for NFL MVP.

AP Comeback Player of the Year Finalist — S Damar Hamlin

Damar Hamlin’s story is unforgettable, with him having overcome a potentially terminal battle against commotio cordis on the field of play in Cincinnati on January 2, 2023. Hamlin would of course go on to make a full recovery following a lengthy care regimen.

His return to the Bills during training camp ahead of the 2023 NFL season was nothing short of remarkable, yet he played sparingly while readjusting to life in the NFL. As such, Hamlin lost out to quarterback Joe Flacco, who was instead named Comeback Player of the Year for the 2023 season.

Hamlin roared back in 2024, claiming a starting spot at safety amid stiff competition from spring training all the way through training camp. Hamlin showed remarkable progress within the defensive system, becoming a vocal leader capable of calling out back-end protections while bringing a particularly menacing force as a tackler.

Hamlin started 14 games for Buffalo during the regular season, recording 89 tackles, two interceptions and five pass defenses (stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference).

2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee — Dion Dawkins

Dion Dawkins is a heck of a left tackle who has the heart of a champion, and an unending desire to help people — especially those less fortunate than him. Through his foundation, Dion’s Dreamers, Dawkins and his team march forward with the “goal of providing mentorship and support to young men and women in underserved communities, as well as those in a place of mental, financial or physical hardship.”

Dawkins is all the best parts of Bills Mafia personified, and his giving spirit is as genuine as it comes. Since arriving at One Bills Drive, Dawkins has immersed himself within the greater Buffalo community and elsewhere, as a true ambassador for the Buffalo Bills and the blue-collar spirit that thrives in Western New York. You can find him helping those in the community both during the season, and much of the offseason.

AP Assistant Coach of the Year — OC Joe Brady

In his first full season as offensive coordinator for the Bills, Joe Brady has found himself the subject of several very important conversations — including head-coaching interviews and his inclusion as part of a group of coaches hoping to be named assistant coach of the year.

Through Brady and Allen, the mantra of “Everybody Eats” was born at One Bills Drive, and the offense practiced what it preached. The Bills tied an NFL record by having 13 different players catch a receiving touchdown.

Instead of backpedaling in 2024, the offense saw a points explosion under Brady (30.88 ppg, 2nd in NFL), averaging 359 total yards per game, with a red zone touchdown efficiency of 71.6% (also 2nd in the NFL). The Bills’ offense surrendered only 14 sacks and just eight turnovers, fewest in the NFL in both regards.

Brady’s system also paved the way for the offense to score 30 passing touchdowns and 32 rushing scores, allowing Buffalo to become the first team in NFL history to record at least 30 in each discipline in the same season. Running back James Cook co-led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns in the regular season,

Speaking of 30, the Bills scored 30 points or more in 12 regular-season games (plus one playoff game), tops in the league and in team history.

2024 NFL Ultimate Fan of the Year finalists — Richard “Poo” Peterson & Derrick “Norm” Norman

The NFL did a featured segment on superfans Norm and Poo, aka “The Chefs” to mark their bid to be crowned the Ultimate Fans from 2024. As noted by the NFL.com feature on Norm and Poo:

Richard “Poo” Peterson is retired from the N.F.T.A and is US Army Veteran who served in Germany and Korea as well as in Operation Desert Storm. Derrick “Norm” Norman is a retired firefighter with the City of Buffalo who served his community for 28 years. He went on to play football as a running back for Buffalo State University upon graduating high school. Norm and Poo have always had a passion for football and have been Season Ticket Members for over 30 years. They are best known for their cooking, epic tailgates, and how welcoming they are to Bills Mafia home and away.

Join us in thanking Richard and Derrick for their service to our country. We wish them the best of luck in being named the NFL’s ultimate fans this evening!