(FOX40.COM) — The NFL hosted its 13th annual award ceremony, known as NFL Honors, on Thursday, and some current and former members of the Super Bowl-contending San Francisco 49ers were able to come away with some hardware.
49ers star All-Pro running back and Stanford alumni Christian McCaffrey, who compiled nearly 1,500 rush yards (1,459), over 2,000 yards from scrimmage (2,023), and over 20 touchdowns (21) during the 2023-2024 season, was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.
•Video Above: 49ers fans in the Sacramento area celebrate the NFC title win
Those stats are even more impressive when one considers that McCaffrey sat out the team’s final game of the season.
McCaffrey beat out Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to win the award. He also beat out Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who would win Most Valuable Player later in the night for the second time in his young career.
CMC becomes the first Niners player to win OPOY since Jerry Rice won it in 1993, and the fifth Niners player in the organization’s history to win the award, joining Rice, Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Roger Craig.
But McCaffrey wasn’t the only Niners player to receive attention at the awards ceremony. Former linebacker Patrick Willis, who was drafted by the 49ers in 2007 and spent his entire career with the team, was announced as a 2024 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
According to Pro Football Focus, a sports analytics company that “focuses on thorough analysis of the NFL,” Willis was the highest-graded linebacker in the company’s history.
The rest of the 2024 Hall of Fame class is made up of defensive legends like Julius Peppers, Dwight Freeney, Steve McMichael, and Randy Gradishar, along with wide receivers Andre Johnson and Devin Hester.
McCaffrey takes the field on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada for Super Bowl LVIII, where he’ll look to add a Lombardi trophy to his impressive resume.
Aydian Ahmad
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