The Detroit Lions ’ 2024 offense made franchise history. Their 564 points not only led the entire NFL, but it set a team record for points in a season, obliterating the previous mark of 474 points, set back in 2011.
As always, it take a village to build and offense. Detroit’s offense is made up of several All-Pros and Pro Bowl ers, which makes the next Pride of Detroit award a tough one: Offensive Player of the Year.
You can find our nominees below, but your vote at the bottom of the page will decide this year’s winner.
Previous awards:
- Breakout Player of the Year
- Special Teams Player of the Year
- Rookie of the Year
- Coach of the Year
- Game of the Year
- Pride of Detroit Moment of the Year
- Defensive Player of the Year
2024 Detroit Lions Offensive Player of the Year
Erik Schlitt: Jahmyr Gibbs
The Lions offense scored 66 touchdowns in 2024 and Gibbs accounted for 20 of those trips to the end zone, while leading the team with 1,412 rushing yards and 1,929 yards from scrimmage. His elite speed and burst are dynamic weapons in the Lions offense and they leaned on him heavily throughout the year, but especially down the stretch after David Montgomery was injured. Gibbs frequently elevated his game to help take the offense to new levels and could be even better in the years to come.
Ty Schalter: Amon-Ra St. Brown
If Jared Goff got the ball anywhere near St. Brown this year, he caught it. And if Goff was throwing St. Brown’s way, he basically always got it near him. As I wrote for the Pride of Detroit Direct newsletter , St. Brown had a historic year catching the ball.
Al Karsten: Penei Sewell
The 24-year-old franchise pillar earned his second consecutive First Team All-Pro honor and his third Pro Bowl selection in just his fourth season, playing a key role in the continued success of the Lions’ physically imposing ground game. Sewell was consistently the fulcrum at the point of attack in run designs, finishing as PFF’s second-highest graded run-blocking offensive tackle.
He also made significant strides in pass protection, allowing just one sack in 617 pass-blocking reps. As the heart and soul of the team, Sewell was instrumental in setting the tone for the league’s highest-scoring offense.
Brandon Knapp: Jared Goff
You can’t be an MVP finalist and not be the player of the year for your side of the ball. While he wasn’t perfect, Goff had many great games where he was the reason why the team was winning. He made impressive throws, kept drives alive, and was able to overcome a lot this season. With an extension locking him in, people questioned if it was the right move, and I believe it was.
Meko Scott: Jahmyr Gibbs
I’ll save you some time and just tell you to revisit my reasoning for why I voted for him as the Breakout Player of Year . And to be clear, this does not take away from the amazing seasons Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Penei Sewell had… but Jah was just on another level this year.
Morgan Cannon: Jahmyr Gibbs
In just about any other year, having a year like Gibbs had in 2024 would have at least gotten him an All-Pro nod. Still, it should be one fans remember for some time. 20 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage are video game numbers, and will go a long way in cementing Gibbs’ status as one of the best running backs in the entire NFL.
John Whiticar: Penei Sewell
This is such a tough decision with so many viable candidates (Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Frank Ragnow). While Gibbs was a close second, I have to give my vote to Sewell. You do not often label an offensive tackle as a “weapon,” but Sewell was certainly that for the Lions. Not only did Sewell lead the team in snaps, but he was phenomenal on every single one. Gibbs is incredible, but he can never be the type of player to play over 90 percent of snaps. If I have to choose between the two elite players, I’m picking the one that’s on the field all the time.
Jeremy Reisman: Jahmyr Gibbs
I’ll just let the tape speak for itself:
Ryan Mathews: Jahmyr Gibbs
After his finish to the 2023 season, who knew there would still be so much more to see from Gibbs? True to his Sonic moniker, Gibbs left his expectations in the dust and was easily the Lions offensive player of the year.
Hamza Baccouche: Jahmyr Gibbs
The offense ran through him, and we saw his speed make a difference down the home stretch of the season more than we’ve seen in the past. He supported the receiving game, bolstered the run game when the Lions lost David Montgomery, and he continued to excel in pass protection. Defenses were forced to respect him and the run game more than ever this year, and it paid dividends.
Max Gerber: Jahmyr Gibbs
The NFL’s leading touchdown scorer in 2024 is my pick for OPOY in Detroit. Gibbs single-handedly made up over a quarter of Detroit’s total yardage on offense while falling just short of 2,000 yards of scrimmage. He was absolutely electric whenever he had the ball in his hands and was able to shine as a featured back after Montgomery got hurt.