FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 20, 2016
CAROLINA’S NEWTON VOTED 2015 PRO FOOTBALL WRITERS OF AMERICA NFL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER/OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR; HOUSTON’S WATT SELECTED AS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR FOR SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who led a prolific Panthers offense with 35 touchdown passes, 10 rushing TDs and 3,837 passing yards, was selected as the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, was named the 2015 Defensive Player of the Year, the second-consecutive season Watt has received the honor from the PFWA.
Newton, in his fifth NFL season, is the 41st MVP honored by the PFWA. He is the first Carolina Panthers player to earn the honor and the third consecutive quarterback to be selected MVP.
Newton started all 16 games in 2015 and completed 296 of 495 passes (59.8 completion percentage) for 3,837 yards, 35 touchdowns and a 99.4 passer rating as the Panthers went a NFL-best 15-1 in the regular season on the way to the NFC No. 1 seed. Newton also rushed 132 times for 636 yards and a team-leading 10 touchdowns. The dual-threat quarterback led the NFL in total touchdowns with 45 (35 passing, 10 rushing), and he is the only player in NFL history with at least 30 passing TDs and 10 rushing TDs in a single season. Newton tied the Panthers’ single-game record for touchdown passes with five on three separate occasions. He also tied a league mark for most Offensive Player of the Week awards with five NFC honors in 2015 (Weeks 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17).
PFWA NFL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
1975 – QB Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings
1976 – QB Bert Jones, Baltimore Colts
1977 – RB Walter Payton, Chicago Bears
1978 – RB Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers
1979 – RB Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers
1980 – QB Brian Sipe, Cleveland Browns
1981 – QB Ken Anderson, Cincinnati Bengals
1982 – QB Dan Fouts, San Diego Chargers
1983 – QB Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins
1984 – QB Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins
1985 – RB Marcus Allen, Los Angeles Raiders
1986 – LB Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants
1987 – WR Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers
1988 – QB Boomer Esiason, Cincinnati Bengals
1989 – QB Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers
1990 – QB Randall Cunningham, Philadelphia Eagles
1991 – RB Thurman Thomas, Buffalo Bills
1992 – QB Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers
1993 – RB Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys
1994 – QB Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers
1995 – QB Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers
1996 – QB Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers
1997 – RB Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions
1998 – RB Terrell Davis, Denver Broncos
1999 – QB Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams
2000 – RB Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams
2001 – RB Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams
2002 – QB Rich Gannon, Oakland Raiders
2003 – RB Jamal Lewis, Baltimore Ravens
2004 – QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
2005 – RB Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks
2006 – RB LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
2007 – QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots
2008 – QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
2009 – QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
2010 – QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots
2011 – QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
2012 – RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
2013 – QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
2014 – QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
2015 – QB Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
ABOUT THE PFWA: The Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) is the official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public. The PFWA is made up of accredited writers who cover the NFL and the 32 teams on a daily basis. Jeff Legwold, who covers the Denver Broncos for ESPN.com, is the organization’s president for 2015-17, while Bleacher Report national columnist Dan Pompei is the PFWA's first vice-president and ESPN’s Jim Trotter is the organization's second vice-president. Follow the PFWA at ProFootballWriters.org and on Twitter at @PFWAwriters.