Not every NFL player can make a massive impact on the field, but anyone can better the lives of others off the field.
The NFL’s annual Walter Payton Man of the Year Award is the league’s representation of this sentiment. It recognizes a player for excellence on and off the football field. On Thursday, the league announced the list of 32 nominees – one from each team – for this year’s award.
“The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award celebrates Walter’s enduring legacy of excellence on the field and compassion off it,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “This award is the league’s most prestigious honor, and we are proud to recognize these 32 outstanding men for the positive impact they make in their communities every day.”
Among the nominees is Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, who has played a big part in helping grow the game of girls’ flag football in the Phoenix area. According to his nominee page, he’s also helped uplift his community with his dedication to promoting literacy and STEM efforts in local schools.
“So many of our players go above and beyond in terms of giving back and making a positive impact on our communities,” said Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill. “Singling out one is always challenging, but the work Trey has done in his three years as a Cardinal has been exceptional.”
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2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominees
Here is the full list of nominees for this year’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award:
Arizona Cardinals: Trey McBride
Atlanta Falcons: Grady Jarrett
Baltimore Ravens: Roquan Smith
Buffalo Bills: Dion Dawkins
Carolina Panthers: Adam Thielen
Chicago Bears: Andrew Billings
Cincinnati Bengals: Orlando Brown Jr.
Cleveland Browns: Denzel Ward
Dallas Cowboys: Zack Martin
Denver Broncos: Alex Singleton
Detroit Lions: Jared Goff
Green Bay Packers: Kenny Clark
Houston Texans: Jalen Pitre
Indianapolis Colts: Kenny Moore II
Jacksonville Jaguars: Arik Armstead
Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce
Las Vegas Raiders: Maxx Crosby
Los Angeles Chargers: Cameron Dicker
Los Angeles Rams: Kyren Williams
Miami Dolphins: Alec Ingold
Minnesota Vikings: C.J. Ham
New England Patriots: Deatrich Wise Jr.
New Orleans Saints: Cameron Jordan
New York Giants: Darius Slayton
New York Jets: Solomon Thomas
Philadelphia Eagles: Brandon Graham
Pittsburgh Steelers: Larry Ogunjobi
San Francisco 49ers: Curtis Robinson
Seattle Seahawks: Uchenna Nwosu
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans
Tennessee Titans: Jeffery Simmons
Washington Commanders: Bobby Wagner
What is the Walter Payton Man of the Year award?
According to the NFL’s website, ‘The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field…Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community.’
The award has been named after former Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton since 1999, the year he passed away.
Each year, all 32 nominees get a $55,000 donation to the charities of their choice, while the award winner gets a $255,000 donation to any charity of his choice.
The Walter Payton Man of the Year award will be presented during the annual NFL Honors show on CBS on Feb. 8 at 9 p.m. ET.