The NFL has announced the 32 nominees for this year’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide, reflecting the off-the-field endeavours of those better known for their performances between the lines.

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award has become the league’s most revered honour, recognising players who excel on the field and demonstrate a steadfast commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game — and fans are once again encouraged to participate in the sponsor’s annual Charity Challenge, a social media and online contest that allows them to show support for their favourite nominee and boost the amount given to his charitable cause.

“The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award celebrates Walter’s enduring legacy of excellence on the field and compassion off it,” commissioner Roger Goodell explained. “This award is the league’s most prestigious honour, and we are proud to recognise these 32 outstanding men for the positive impact they make in their communities every day.”

First established in 1970, the national award was renamed in 1999 after the late Chicago Bears legend and, since then, 57 players have been bstowed with the honour, including four current players: Cam Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers – who was last year’s winner – plus Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson and Calais Campbell. Each of these players wears a Man of the Year patch on their jerseys throughout the season to recognise the outstanding contributions they have made to the game and their communities and, beginning from this weekend, each of the 2025 nominees will also get to display a special Man of the Year helmet decal in recognition of their accomplishments.

All 32 nominees will be recognised for their achievements in the week leading up to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, where the winner will be announced during the NFL Honours ceremony on Thursday, February 6^th.

This year’s nominees support myriad causes and initiatives off the field that are important to them and their communities, including empowering youth to lead healthy lifestyles and uplifting underserved communities amongst others. Each nominee will receive up to $55,000, with the eventual award winner receiving up to $265,000, as a donation to their charity of choice. All donations are made possible by the NFL Foundation and Nationwide Foundation.

Fans are once again encouraged to participate in Nationwide’s annual Charity Challenge on X/Twitter by posting #WPMOYChallenge along with the last name or handle of their chosen nominee, or alternatively by voting directly on NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. The nominee who receives the most collective hashtag mentions and online votes will receive an additional $35,000 donation from Nationwide to the charity of their choice, with the runner-up receiving $10,000 and third-place receiving $5,000. Charity Challenge voting takes place between December 5^th and January 6^th.

“As presenting sponsor of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, Nationwide is pleased to recognise this year’s class of remarkable nominees,” the company’s executive vice-president and chief marketing officer Ramon Jones noted. “Each player’s unwavering dedication to their community truly sets them apart — these men are so much more than football players, and Nationwide is proud to support and amplify their causes.”

This year’s nominees comprise:

Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals)
Grady Jarrett (Atlanta Falcons)
Roquan Smith (Baltimore Ravens)
Dion Dawkins (Buffalo Bills)
Adam Thielen (Carolina Panthers)
Andrew Billings (Chicago Bears)
Orlando Brown Jr (Cincinnati Bengals)
Denzel Ward (Cleveland Browns)
Zack Martin (Dallas Cowboys)
Alex Singleton (Denver Broncos)
Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
Kenny Clark (Green Bay Packers)
Jalen Pitrie (Houston Texans)
Kenny Moore II (Indianapolis Colts)
Arik Armstead (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs)
Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas Raiders)
Cameron Dicker (Los Angeles Chargers)
Kyren Williams (Los Angeles Rams)
Alec Ingold (Miami Dolphins)
C.J. Ham (Minnesota Vikings)
Deatrich Wise Jr (New England Patriots)
Cameron Jordan (New Orleans Saints)
Darius Slayton (New York Giants)
Solomon Thomas (New York Jets)
Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles)
Larry Ogunjobi (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Curtis Robinson (San Francisco 49ers)
Uchenna Nwosu (Seattle Seahawks)
Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Jeffery Simmons (Tennessee Titans)
Bobby Wagner (Washington Commanders)

New this year, the NFL, Nationwide and Omaha Productions are teaming up to air a one-hour special on ESPN highlighting the off-field efforts of several award nominees. The broadcast special will air on ESPN on Tuesday, December 24^th features interviews with the likes of Maxx Crosby, Arik Armstead, Solomon Thomas and Bobby Wagner.

To learn more about the stories of all 32 nominees, visit NFL.com/ManOfTheYear.