Let’s be real for a second. Most NFL awards are kind of a snooze. You’ve got your MVPs and your All-Pros, but those usually just go to the same three guys everyone already knows. But there’s this one thing—the FedEx Ground Player of the Week—that actually feels like it belongs to the fans.
It’s weirdly addictive. You spend all Sunday screaming at the TV because some running back just gashed a defense for 150 yards, and then by Monday morning, you’re basically a campaign manager trying to get him a trophy.
But here’s the thing: most people actually have no idea how it works anymore. If you still think this is just a "best running back" award, you’re living in 2023. The rules changed. The stakes changed. And honestly? The way it helps people off the field is way more interesting than the cardboard trophy.
The Massive 2024 Rule Shake-up
For over two decades, this award was simple. You had "Air" for the quarterbacks and "Ground" for the running backs. It was clean. It was predictable.
Then the NFL and FedEx decided to blow the whole thing up.
Starting in the 2024 season, they stopped being so rigid. They realized the modern game isn't just about a guy taking a handoff and running into a pile of linemen. Now, wide receivers and tight ends are eligible too. Basically, if you’re a "playmaker" on the ground or through the air, you’re in the mix.
Instead of one winner for Air and one for Ground, they now pick six total nominees across all those positions. The two players who get the most fan votes win. It doesn't matter if it's two quarterbacks, a receiver and a running back, or two tight ends. If the fans say they were the best, they get the nod.
This change was huge. It’s why you saw guys like Ja'Marr Chase making history. In 2024, Chase didn't just win a couple of weekly awards; he became the first-ever wide receiver to win the FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Year.
How the Nominations Actually Work
You ever wonder who actually picks the six names you see on the ballot? It's not just a random dartboard in an office. It’s based on "exemplary individual statistical performance."
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Take a look at Week 16 of the 2025 season. Joe Burrow basically broke the internet. He went 25-of-32 for 309 yards and four touchdowns. He was a lock for a nomination. But he wasn't alone. He was up against Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert, and even running backs like James Cook and Jonathan Taylor.
The nominations usually drop on Monday morning. Then the clock starts.
Fans have until Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. ET to cast their votes. You can do it on the NFL website, the mobile app, or even on X (what we used to call Twitter). It’s a total sprint.
It’s More Than Just a Popularity Contest
Okay, so why does this actually matter? Besides the bragging rights and the cool graphic on the Jumbotron?
Money. Specifically, charity money.
Every single week, FedEx cuts a check. For the 2025-26 season, they’ve been working with Feeding America. Every time a player wins the weekly award, FedEx donates $2,000 to a local food bank in that player's city.
- Weekly Impact: $4,000 total ($2k per winner).
- Annual Impact: Over $100,000 granted through the program each year.
- Historical Impact: Since 2003, they’ve dumped nearly $3 million into various nonprofits.
Before Feeding America, they were heavily involved with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, sending that money to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for needs-based scholarships.
It’s one of the few times that your "pointless" internet voting actually puts food on someone's table or helps a kid go to college. Kind of makes you feel better about spending ten minutes clicking a button, right?
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The Legends and the 2025 Standouts
If you look at the history books, the names are staggering. Peyton Manning and Ahman Green were the OGs back in 2003. Since then, it’s been a revolving door of greatness.
Drew Brees was a machine for this award. Adrian Peterson basically lived on the "Ground" podium for a decade.
But look at what happened lately. In 2025, Jonathan Taylor has been absolutely dominant. He took the Week 3 honor after a 102-yard, three-touchdown clinic against the Titans. Then he did it again in Week 7.
And don't even get me started on the quarterbacks. Josh Allen is essentially a permanent resident of the nomination list because he’s a human cheat code who throws for 300 and runs for two scores every other game.
What People Get Wrong About the Voting
There’s this misconception that the "best" player always wins.
Honestly? Not always.
Since it’s a fan vote, big market teams or teams with massive "online" fanbases (looking at you, Bengals and Lions) tend to over-perform. If a guy from a smaller market has a career game, he might still lose to a superstar who had a "pretty good" game but has 5 million more followers.
That’s just the nature of the beast. It’s a popularity contest tied to a stat sheet.
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The Road to the NFL Honors
Winning a weekly award is the "in." If you stack enough of these during the regular season, you become a finalist for the FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Year.
These are the big ones. They hand these out during the NFL Honors special, right before the Super Bowl.
For 2026, things are getting even more specific. FedEx is planning to reveal three separate trophies:
- One for the best quarterback.
- One for the best running back.
- One for the best wide receiver/tight end.
It’s a way to make sure everyone gets their flowers without a quarterback just sweeping everything because they touch the ball on every play.
What You Should Do Next
If you want to actually influence who wins (and where that charity money goes), you’ve got to be proactive.
Watch the "Monday Drop": Check the NFL’s official X account or the NFL app every Monday morning. The nominees are usually posted right after the Sunday night game excitement cools down.
Vote Early: You only have until Wednesday afternoon. Don’t wait until Thursday morning and wonder why the poll is closed.
Look at the Stats, Not Just the Name: Sometimes a guy on a losing team has a historic performance that gets buried in the headlines. Those are the guys who usually need the fan vote the most to get recognized.
Keep an eye on the Feeding America totals as well. It’s pretty cool to see the running tally of how much "fan voting" has actually provided in terms of meals for local communities.
At the end of the day, the FedEx Ground Player of the Week is the bridge between us on the couch and the guys on the field. It’s a way to say, "Yeah, we saw what you did," and do a little good in the process.