Drew Brees won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award for the 2011 NFL season.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback produced one of the greatest passing seasons in NFL history. He completed 468 of 657 passes for 5,476 yards and 46 touchdowns, setting league records for passing yards and completions at the time. His accuracy, volume, and downfield production powered New Orleans to a 13–3 record and an NFC South title.
Brees received 43 votes from the nationwide Associated Press media panel. Calvin Johnson, the Detroit Lions wide receiver, finished second with 27 votes, while Aaron Rodgers—who won the AP MVP award—was not the Offensive Player of the Year winner. That distinction is a common source of confusion because Rodgers led the Packers to a 15–1 record and earned the season’s top individual honor.
This was Brees’s second AP Offensive Player of the Year award; he had also won it in 2008. The 2011 honor recognized his regular-season offensive performance, separate from postseason awards and the AP MVP vote.