Fansided

NFL announces FedEx Air Player of the Year finalists

By Jeff Adcox

Jan 4, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) throws the ball as Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) chases in the fourth quarter during the 2013 NFC wild card playoff football game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Saints won 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) throws the ball as Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) chases in the fourth quarter during the 2013 NFC wild card playoff football game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Saints won 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 4, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) throws the ball as Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) chases in the fourth quarter during the 2013 NFC wild card playoff football game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Saints won 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) throws the ball as Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) chases in the fourth quarter during the 2013 NFC wild card playoff football game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Saints won 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Quarterbacks Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos and Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Yearaward. Fan voting will determine the winner of the award and is now open at NFL.com/fedex until Jan. 24.

Here is a closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year finalists:

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees became the first quarterback in NFL history with three consecutive 5,000-yard seasons and four career 5,000-yard seasons. He is also the first player in NFL history to pass for 20,000 yards in a four-year span (20,435). Brees has at least 30 touchdowns in six consecutive seasons, surpassing Brett Favre (five) for the longest such streak in NFL history.

Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning, one of the winningest quarterbacks in league history, led the Broncos (13-3) to the No. 1 seed in the AFC. He set the NFL’s single-season passing-yard record with 5,477 yards, surpassing Drew Brees’ mark of 5,476 yards, and finished the regular season with 55 touchdown passes, also the most in a season in NFL history. Manning is the first quarterback since Dan Marino in 1984 to set the record in both passing touchdowns and passing yards in the same season.

San Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers led the Chargers to a Wild Card berth in the AFC playoffs for the first time since 2009. Selected to the 2014 Pro Bowl, Rivers (105.5) was one of only seven quarterbacks with a passer rating of 100.0 or better in 2013. He became the sixth player in NFL history to register five 4,000 yard seasons.

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