Steelers fans, bettors may not like the new NFL Comeback Player of the Year guidelines

There’s a new framework for how the NFL Comeback Player of the Year is awarded. I expect most Pittsburgh Steelers fans — and bettors — won’t like it.

The Associated Press has changed the guidelines of how voting for the annual award should go. Via ProFootballTalk.com, the new language is as follows: “The spirit of the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award is to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season.”

Translation: “Damar Hamlin didn’t win the award last year, and we feel guilty about it. So let’s overcompensate by implementing new guidelines.”

There may have been an initial groundswell before that when Geno Smith won it 2022, as PFT’s Mike Florio suggested. Regardless, I don’t like the new parameters. For instance, going back to last year again, Joe Flacco won the award for how he led the Browns to the playoffs after being signed in October following his 2022 benching by the New York Jets.

It was a great story. And in any other year besides one that included a guy making a return from nearly dying on the field (as Hamlin had done at the end of 2022), no one would’ve thought twice about Flacco being honored.

But now, under these rules, Flacco wouldn’t be eligible. He didn’t come back from injury, illness or extenuating circumstances. He just appeared to be washed up in New York.

Does losing a battle with Father Time, resulting in a demotion, constitute “extenuating circumstances”?

Had these rules been in place last year, Flacco wouldn’t have even been a candidate to get the award, regardless of whether Hamlin had returned to action with the Bills.

That seems pretty dumb to me.

Steelers fans — and maybe some bettors — probably hate this change too. After all, I think that both of the franchise’s new quarterbacks — Russell Wilson and Justin Fields — would be prime candidates to win that award this year if they thrive in Pittsburgh.

But neither player was shipped out of Denver or Chicago, respectively, because of injury. So, are they eligible or not? Does Wilson being benched in Denver because of his contract status count as “other circumstances”?

To me, it sounds like Cam Heyward might be a candidate, but those two wouldn’t be.

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What if you already bet money on Wilson or Fields to win the award? If any gambling outlets had already taken action on that bet, would they void the tickets upon request?

What if Mason Rudolph replaces an injured Will Levis and makes the Pro Bowl in Tennessee? That probably doesn’t count either, right?

And Kenny Pickett? Now, there’s a tricky situation.

For the sake of argument, let’s say Jalen Hurts goes down in September, and Pickett replaces him to lead the Eagles to the playoffs. Is Pickett eligible for Comeback Player of the Year?

I mean, technically, Rudolph did get his chance to replace Pickett last year because Pickett had previously injured his ankle, and Mitch Trubisky was bad.

But we all know that’s not why Pickett stayed on the bench. Pickett stayed on the bench because he wasn’t playing well before his injury, and Rudolph was winning.

So would Pickett be eligible in Philly or not? Under the circumstances I outlined, I think he should be. As should Rudolph, Fields and Wilson.

What about Tommy Maddox? He deservedly won the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2002 when he literally had to come back into the league after being exiled to the XFL.

Pretty good story, right? But that didn’t happen because of injury. It’s just that no one thought he was good enough anymore until he led the Steelers to the playoffs that year. Now, I suppose Maddox couldn’t be considered.

Stupid.

As PFT.com pointed out, though, that “other circumstances” clause creates a massive loophole. That’s probably on purpose in case there is no player that has a health comeback or personal issue conquered in a given year that merits consideration. Under such circumstances, a hypothetical like one of the ones we just outlined for those QBs could count.

It is clear, however, that the AP wants voters to lean to the human interest, sob-story candidates whenever possible. We’re talking about a bunch of pandering, preening, altruism-chasing sports writers here. So, should we really be surprised at the priorities being advanced?

”Present company included, Tim?” Eh, maybe some days.

But I’m team Tommy Gun on this one. These new guidelines are silly.