Tom Brady Wins His Third M.V.P. Award

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MINNEAPOLIS — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who will seek his sixth Super Bowl title on Sunday, has been named the N.F.L.’s Most Valuable Player for the third time.

On Saturday night at a league ceremony Brady added The Associated Press 2017 N.F.L. M.V.P. award to his wins in 2007 and 2010. Peyton Manning won the award a record five times.

Brady was joined as an honoree by three Los Angeles Rams: Sean McVay, who was named Coach of the Year; running back Todd Gurley II, who was named Offensive Player of the Year; and tackle Aaron Donald, the Defensive Player of the Year.

Other winners in voting by a nationwide panel of 50 news media members who regularly cover the league were: Los Angeles Chargers receiver Keenan Allen (Comeback Player of the Year); New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara and cornerback Marshon Lattimore as the top offensive and defensive rookies; and the former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, the new head coach of the Giants, as Assistant Coach of the Year.

Brady became the second player in the four major men’s professional sports to win an M.V.P. award at age 40; the other was Barry Bonds, who won the National League award in baseball in 2004. They are both graduates of Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif.

Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who missed the entire season with a knee injury, accepted the award for Brady.

“Thanks, thanks. Wait up. I literally just found out I was doing this like 20 minutes ago. So, I’ve got to read the text,” Edelman said.

“No, but I’m joking. But serious, Tom said he wanted to say he’s very honored and humbled that he gets this award for M.V.P. Also, he wanted to thank his teammates, his friends, his family and the Patriots organization for going out and doing what they do.”

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Brady completed 385 of 581 passes (66.2 percent) for 4,577 yards and 32 touchdowns with 8 interceptions as New England went 13-3 for the A.F.C.’s best record.

Donald was the first pure defensive tackle to win the award since Warren Sapp in 1999. “Even for my name to be next to that guy’s name is beyond a blessing,” Donald said. “This is what you dream about as a kid, dreaming about playing in the N.F.L. to have success like this.”

Gurley’s sensational turnaround season, in which he ran for 13 touchdowns and caught six touchdown passes, helped create an equally impressive reversal of fortune for his team, which won the N.F.C. West at 11-5.

“The Saints got the rookies and we took home the offensive and defensive player awards,” Gurley said. “It just tells you the type of players we have on the team. We all help each other out, absolutely. We have some talent, but we’re nothing without the whole nine yards and everybody together. And we also have a coach who’s up for Coach of the Year.”

A little while later, McVay was handed the coaching award.

McVay, who turned 32 on Jan. 24, was in his first season running a team and was the youngest head coach in N.F.L. history when he led the Rams to a seven-game improvement from last season. McVay ran away with the voting, garnering 35 ballots compared with 11 for the runner-up, Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer.

“What it means is we had a good season that I think we can build on,” McVay said. “But you have to earn it every single day. It’s a very humbling league.”

The Rams’ hat trick of awards was not unprecedented. In 2003, Baltimore’s Ray Lewis was named the top defensive player, Jamal Lewis the best offensive player, and Terrell Suggs the Defensive Rookie of the Year. And in 1999, the St. Louis Rams had three award winners: Kurt Warner (M.V.P.), Marshall Faulk (offensive player) and Dick Vermeil (coach).

The New Orleans sweep of the rookie awards was the first since 1967, when Detroit running back Mel Farr and cornerback Lem Barney were honored. That was the first season for the top defensive rookie award.

The awards were announced Saturday night at the N.F.L. Honors ceremony, where Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt received the league’s Walter Payton Award as man of the year. Watt, who was in his seventh N.F.L. season and is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, set a goal of raising $200,000 for Hurricane Harvey relief in Houston. Instead he raised $37 million in 19 days.

“I’ve been fortunate to be on this stage and to win Defensive Player of the Year awards, but everything that you do on the field pales in comparison to what you do off the field,” Watt said. “And at the end of my life, if I’m remembered as a football player and a good football player, and that’s all I’m remembered for, then I did a poor job in my life.”