NFL releases list of Walter Payton Award nominees

Field Level Media|published: Thu 5th December, 11:12 2024

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Hayward announces Washington Huskies offensive tackle Troy Fautanu’s selection as the No. 20 pick of the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The NFL introduced the 32 nominees for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the highest honor given to a player in the league, on Thursday.

Nominees are players who both excel on the field and provide a "positive impact beyond the game," according to the league.

"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 news release. "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."

The award will be presented Feb. 6 during the NFL Honors ceremony. The winner will receive a donation of up to $265,000 to a charity of his choice. The others will receive up to $55,000 for their causes.

Cameron Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers won the 2023 award.

The nominees, by team, are:

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