Three Heisman Winners Set To Play In NFL Postseason

In an NFL season as unpredictable as it was entertaining, four Heisman winners saw their teams advance to the postseason, albeit only three are active.

Caleb Williams led the Chicago Bears to an 11-6 mark and the NFC North Division title en route to the NFC No. 2 seed while DeVonta Smith and the Philadelphia Eagles were also division champs with the same record and claimed the No. 3 seed.

Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers won the NFC South at 8-9, squeaking in via a tiebreaker over the Baker Mayfield-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta.

In the AFC, Travis Hunter’s Jacksonville Jaguars earned the No. 3 seed, but the most recent Heisman winner has been sidelined since November with a knee injury and will not play in the postseason.

A year ago, Smith became the first Heisman winner to secure a Super Bowl ring since Charles Woodson in 2011 when he helped the Eagles beat Kansas City, 40-22. Now, Smith has a chance to become the first Heisman winner to win two straight Super Bowls and just the third to win two overall (which would equal the feat shared by the Cowboys’ Roger Staubach and the Raiders’ Jim Plunkett).

In addition to the Heisman winners, there are three Heisman runners-up and another five Heisman finalists in this year’s NFL playoff mix. The trio of runners-up include Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence (2020), Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts (2019) and San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey (2015).

Other finalists playing include Denver’s Box Nix (2023), Houston’s C.J. Stroud (2021-22), San Francisco’s Mac Jones (2020), Pittsburgh’s Jabrill Peppers (2016) and Los Angeles’ Stetson Bennett (2022), who is the Rams’ emergency QB.

A handful of other top 10 Heisman finishers are also in action, but none older than 2004 Heisman ninth-place finisher and Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers.

Two more Heisman winners — Baltimore teammates Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry — came within a play of joining the playoff fray, but the Ravens’ Week 18 game-ending field goal miss ended their season.

Henry finished as the league’s second-leading rusher with 1,595 yards on 307 carries, falling 27 yards short of his third career NFL rushing title. Henry’s 17 carries of 20 or more yards was a league-best while his 16 rushing scores were second-best.

Henry moved into 10th all-time on the NFL’s career rushing chart with 13,018 yards, moving past fellow Heisman winner Tony Dorsett in Week 17. Barry Sanders is the only Heisman winner with more career rushing yards (15,269). Henry is also now fourth on the NFL’s career rushing touchdown list (122) and needs one more to catch fellow Heisman winner Marcus Allen.

Williams, who guided the Bears to their first playoff berth since 2020, finished seventh in the NFL in passing yards (3,942) in his sophomore season while throwing 27 TDs, both career bests. He also rushed for 388 yards and his first three rushing scores.

Mayfield was 10th in passing yards (3,693) and threw 26 TDs. He leads active Heisman winners in NFL career passing yards (28.525) and is 65th on the career list.

Young, in guiding the Panthers back to the postseason for the first time since 2017, posted career highs in passing yards (3,011), completion percentage (63.6) and passing TDs (23).

Smith finished the regular season 17th in receiving yards (1,008) and tied for 21st with 77 receptions, including four for scores. It was his third 1,000-yard season with the Eagles and he now has 5,019 career receiving yards, 385 career receptions and 31 career TD catches.

It was an injury-riddled year for a handful of Heisman winners. Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, Jayden Daniels and Hunter all missed significant action due to injuries. Burrow played in eight games, Daniels and Hunter seven, Murray just five.

Jackson missed four games as well while Marcus Mariota, Daniels’ backup in Washington, was also sidelined by late-season injuries. Jameis Winston spent his 11th NFL season as a backup for the Giants, seeing action in three games.