Short answers, pulled from the story.
Jim Martin won the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 1963 as a kicker for Baltimore. He was the first recipient recognized by the Associated Press during the initial run from 1963 to 1966.
The AP did not give the award again until the 1998 season following a thirty-two-year gap that separated the initial run from its revival. Doug Flutie won the award in 1998 as a quarterback for Buffalo to restart the modern era of winners.
Chad Pennington and Joe Burrow are the only two players who have received the award more than once since the AFL, NFL merger. Chad Pennington won in 2006 and 2008 while Joe Burrow claimed the title in 2021 and 2024.
Since 2011, the award has been presented at the NFL Honors ceremony which takes place in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. This event provides a dedicated stage and audience for recipients like Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers compared to previous announcements without a platform.
Beginning with the 2024 season, the new rules emphasize players coming back from illness, physical injury, or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season. Media personnel now weigh missed seasons more heavily than performance metrics under these updated standards.