NFL Announces Nominees for 2019 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year
/The National Football League today announced the five finalists for the 2019 PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR award.
Starting today, fans can vote for one of these five players on NFL.com/rookies through Monday, January 20 at 3:00 PM ET to determine the 2019 PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR.
The 2019 PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR award will be recognized in Miami during Super Bowl LIV festivities and online at NFL.com/rookies.
The five finalists were selected for their outstanding performances through the 2019 NFL season. Each week, five nominees were chosen for the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week and fans voted for the winner on NFL.com. Those results were used to help determine the finalists.
A closer look at the finalists:
San Francisco 49ers DE Nick Bosa
A 2020 Pro Bowl selection, Bosa set a rookie franchise record with 16 tackles for loss, in addition to nine sacks in 2019. He began the season with seven sacks in his first seven games, tied for the second-most by a player in his first seven games since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. In Week 8, Bosa also joined Julius Peppers (October 13, 2002) and Kevin Williams (December 28, 2003) as the only rookies to record at least three sacks and an interception in a single game since 1982.
Tennessee Titans WR A.J. Brown
Brown led all rookies with 1,051 receiving yards and tied for the most receiving touchdowns among rookies with eight. Brown became the second wide receiver to reach 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie in franchise history, joining Ernest Givins in 1986. This season, Brown joined Isaac Curtis (five in 1973), Willie Gault (four in 1983) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss (five in 1998) as the only rookies with at least four touchdown receptions of 50-or-more yards since 1970.
Oakland Raiders RB Josh Jacobs
Jacobs led all rookies with 1,150 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns, while his 1,316 scrimmage yards led all AFC rookies in 2019. Jacobs surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen (697 in 1982) for the most rushing yards by a rookie in team history. This season, Jacobs also became the first rookie since Cincinnati’s Ickey Woods (1988) to have at least two rushing touchdowns in three of his first eight career games.
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
Murray led all rookie quarterbacks with 3,722 passing yards and 544 rushing yards in 2019. His 2019 season set rookie franchise records in passing yards, passing touchdowns (20) and passer rating (87.4). Murray joined Carolina’s Cam Newton (2011) as the only rookie quarterbacks with at least 3,500 passing yards and 500 rushing yards in NFL history.
Philadelphia Eagles RB Miles Sanders
Sanders led all rookies with 1,327 scrimmage yards (818 rushing, 509 receiving) in 2019 and joined Saquon Barkley as the only rookies with at least 800 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards since 2000. He surpassed LeSean McCoy (637 in 2009) for the most rushing yards by a rookie in franchise history and surpassed DeSean Jackson (1,008 in 2008) for the most scrimmage yards by an Eagles rookie in team history.
This is Pepsi’s 18th year as the official soft drink sponsor of the NFL and the 17th year that Pepsi will present the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year award.
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About PepsiCo:
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $64 billion in net revenue in 2018, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
Media Contacts
John Deighton, NFL
646-876-6028
Jillian Galasso Djukic, Pepsi
914-253-3174
jillian.galasso@pepsico.com