Which AP award did Tom Brady win for the 2009 season after missing most of 2008?

Which AP award did Tom Brady win for the 2009 season after missing most of 2008? NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Tom Brady won the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year award for the 2009 season after returning from the serious knee injury that had ended his 2008 campaign. The award recognized both his recovery and his immediate return to elite production.

Brady finished the 2009 regular season with 4,398 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes. He also helped the Patriots return to the playoffs after missing the postseason in 2008. His comeback was especially notable because he had torn the ACL and MCL in his left knee in the previous season’s opener.

This award is distinct from the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, which emphasizes community impact, and from the league’s offensive and defensive performance awards. Brady’s 2009 honor was the AP’s NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and it remains one of the defining recovery seasons of his career.