Hamlin, who had his heartbeat restored on the field, made a remarkable recovery as he was discharged from hospital after nine days and cleared for full football activities three months later.

During the 2023 regular season, Hamlin played in five games for the Bills and was inactive for their other 12 but did suit up for both his team's playoff games.

Hamlin was thrust into the spotlight last week during the Bills' playoff loss to the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs when he was used as the ball carrier on a crucial fake punt in which he was stopped well short of a first down.

Quarterbacks Joe Flacco (Cleveland Browns), Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) and Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins) are the other finalists.

The winner will be announced at NFL Honors, the league's primetime awards special, on February 8th in Las Vegas ahead of the February 11th Super Bowl.

At last year's NFL Honours, Hamlin gave a heartfelt speech as the medical staff that helped save his life stood behind him on the stage.

Hamlin won the NFL Players Association's Alan Page Community Award which recognizes one player who demonstrates a dedication to positively impacting his team's city and communities across the country.