NFL Unveils 2025 Club Winners for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award Presented by Nationwide

The NFL announced today the 32 club Man of the Year winners, who are now nominees for the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide is the league’s most prestigious honor, recognizing players who excel on the field and demonstrate a commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game. 

“The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is our league’s most revered honor, celebrating players for their excellence both on and off the field,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “These 32 men represent the best of the NFL, and the incredible contributions they make to their teams and communities every day continue to keep Walter’s legacy alive.”

Below is a list of this year’s club winners:

TEAM                                                           CLUB WINNER
Arizona Cardinals                                         Kelvin Beachum
Atlanta Falcons                                             A.J. Terrell Jr.
Baltimore Ravens                                          Derrick Henry
Buffalo Bills                                                  Dion Dawkins
Carolina Panthers                                          Austin Corbett
Chicago Bears                                               DJ Moore
Cincinnati Bengals                                        Ted Karras
Cleveland Browns                                         Grant Delpit
Dallas Cowboys                                            Solomon Thomas
Denver Broncos                                            Garett Bolles
Detroit Lions                                                 DJ Reader
Green Bay Packers                                        Jordan Love
Houston Texans                                            Azeez Al-Shaair
Indianapolis Colts                                         Kenny Moore II
Jacksonville Jaguars                                      Logan Cooke
Kansas City Chiefs                                       Travis Kelce
Las Vegas Raiders                                        Maxx Crosby
Los Angeles Chargers                                   Cameron Dicker
Los Angeles Rams                                        Kyren Williams
Miami Dolphins                                            Bradley Chubb
Minnesota Vikings                                        C.J. Ham
New England Patriots                                   Hunter Henry
New Orleans Saints                                       Demario Davis
New York Giants                                          Bobby Okereke
New York Jets                                               Quincy Williams
Philadelphia Eagles                                       Jordan Mailata
Pittsburgh Steelers                                        Alex Highsmith
San Francisco 49ers                                      Curtis Robinson
Seattle Seahawks                                          Julian Love
Tampa Bay Buccaneers                                Baker Mayfield
Tennessee Titans                                           Jeffery Simmons
Washington Commanders                             Bobby Wagner
 

All 32 club winners will be recognized for their achievements during the week leading up to Super Bowl LX in the Bay Area. The national winner of the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special airing on Thursday, Feb. 5.

Each of this year’s club winners supports a range of causes and initiatives off the field, including uplifting underserved communities, empowering young people to lead healthy lifestyles and many other notable causes. The charitable beneficiary of each team’s club winner will receive up to $40,000, and the nonprofit chosen by the overall national winner will receive up to $250,000. All funds are donations courtesy of the NFL Foundation and the Nationwide Foundation.

Fans are once again encouraged to participate in Nationwide’s annual Charity Challenge, a social media and online contest that allows fans to show support for their favorite Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year club winner. Fans can vote on X/Twitter by posting #WPMOYChallenge along with the full name/X handle of their chosen player or by voting directly on NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. The charitable beneficiary of the player who receives the most collective hashtag mentions and online votes will win an additional $35,000 donation from Nationwide, with the nonprofit partners of the runner-up and third-place finishers receiving $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. Charity Challenge voting takes place from December 4 through January 5, 2026.

“As a company deeply rooted in a culture of caring and community support, Nationwide is honored to recognize the inspiring club winners for this year’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award,” said Ann Bair, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Nationwide. “We’re proud to showcase these players and help amplify the causes they champion, celebrating the meaningful impact they’re making far beyond the field.”

First established in 1970, the national award was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton. Since then, 58 legends and players have received this esteemed award, including five current players: Arik Armstead of the Jacksonville Jaguars – who was last year’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year – Cam Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Russell Wilson of the New York Giants, and Calais Campbell of the Arizona Cardinals. Each of these players wears a Man of the Year patch on their jerseys throughout the season to recognize the outstanding contributions they have made to the game and their communities.

Beginning Week 14 and continuing through the end of the season, each of this year’s club winners will also wear a special Man of the Year helmet decal in recognition of their accomplishments on and off the field. Select stadiums will also display goal post wraps adorned with the NFL Man of the Year trophy silhouette.

New this season, Homage will produce a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year-inspired “Gladiator” product. The product is inspired by the Man of the Year trophy and celebrates this year’s club winners. Each of the 32 club winners will receive this unique product. Fans can share how they’ve uplifted their communities and enter for a chance to win a Gladiator t-shirt at NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. Fans can also purchase a Gladiator t-shirt directly at Homage.com.

For the first time, fans now have the opportunity to purchase Arik Armstead’s jersey with the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Gladiator patch. A limited quantity of the jersey is now available for sale at NFLShop.com, Fanatics.com, and the Jaguars online store.

The NFL does not profit from the sale of Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year products, and proceeds from the products are awarded by the NFL Foundation to player-supported nonprofit partners.

To learn more about the stories of all 32 players and for more information about the award, please visit NFL.com/ManOfTheYear.