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Every NFL Team's Heartwarming Walter Payton Man of the Year Announcement Video

Grab the tissues and find your favorite team.
Brigid Kennedy|
Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata is the Eagles' nominee for 2025.
Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata is the Eagles' nominee for 2025. | Eagles / Screensho

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San Francisco 49ersChicago BearsArizona CardinalsAtlanta FalconsBaltimore RavensBuffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & StandingsCarolina PanthersCincinnati BengalsCleveland BrownsDallas Cowboys | News, Scores, Schedules & StandingsDenver BroncosGreen Bay PackersDetroit LionsHouston TexansIndianapolis ColtsJacksonville JaguarsKansas City ChiefsLas Vegas RaidersLos Angeles ChargersLos Angeles RamsMiami DolphinsMinnesota VikingsNew England PatriotsNew Orleans SaintsNew York GiantsNew York JetsPhiladelphia EaglesPittsburgh SteelersSeattle SeahawksTampa Bay BuccaneersTennessee TitansWashington Commanders

The NFL on Thursday announced all 32 of its club nominees for the 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, a prestigious annual accolade that "recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field." The prize was first established in 1970, but was renamed in 1999 to honor late Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton.

Although just one winner is selected from the bunch, it is a tremendous honor to be nominated for the award. Each nominee is recognized starting in Week 14 with a special helmet decal they'll wear through the end of the season, and franchises often go to great lengths to surprise the player with news of their selection in a special and meaningful way.

Below, we've collated all the heartwarming announcement videos into one long post, so you can easily scroll through and celebrate the winner for your favorite team.

Note: A video is not included for teams who did not post one.

The winner of 2025's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 5, 2026.

Jump to a team:

  1. 49ers
  2. Bears
  3. Bengals
  4. Bills
  5. Broncos
  6. Browns
  7. Buccaneers
  8. Cardinals
  9. Chargers
  10. Chiefs:
  11. Colts:
  12. Commanders:
  13. Cowboys:
  14. Dolphins:
  15. Eagles
  16. Falcons
  17. Giants
  18. Jaguars
  19. Jets
  20. Lions
  21. Packers
  22. Panthers
  23. Patriots
  24. Raiders
  25. Rams
  26. Ravens
  27. Saints
  28. Seahawks
  29. Steelers
  30. Texans
  31. Titans
  32. Vikings

49ers

Nominee: Curtis Robinson (linebacker)

Bears

Nominee: DJ Moore (wide receiver)

Bengals

Nominee: Ted Karras (center)

Bills

Nominee: Dion Dawkins (offensive lineman)

Broncos

Nominee: Garett Bolles (offensive tackle)

Browns

Nominee: Grant Delpit (safety)

Buccaneers

Nominee: Baker Mayfield (quarterback)

Cardinals

Nominee: Kelvin Beachum Jr. (offensive tackle)

Chargers

Nominee: Cameron Dicker (kicker)

Chiefs:

Nominee: Travis Kelce (tight end)

Colts:

Nominee: Kenny Moore II (cornerback)

Commanders:

Nominee: Bobby Wager (linebacker)

Cowboys:

Nominee: Solomon Thomas (defensive tackle)

Dolphins:

Nominee: Bradley Chubb (defensive end)

Eagles

Nominee: Jordan Mailata (offensive tackle)

Falcons

Nominee: A.J. Terrell Jr. (cornerback)

Giants

Nominee: Bobby Okereke (linebacker)

Jaguars

Nominee: Logan Cooke (punter)

Jets

Nominee: Quincy Williams (linebacker)

You can watch the Jets' video for Williams here.

Lions

Nominee: D.J. Reader (defensive tackle)

Packers

Nominee: Jordan Love (quarterback)

Panthers

Nominee: Austin Corbett (offensive lineman)

Patriots

Nominee: Hunter Henry (tight end)

Raiders

Nominee: Maxx Crosby (defensive end)

Rams

Nominee: Kyren Williams (running back)

Ravens

Nominee: Derrick Henry (running back)

Saints

Nominee: Demario Davis (linebacker)

Seahawks

Nominee: Julian Love (safety)

Steelers

Nominee: Alex Highsmith (outside linebacker)

Texans

Nominee: Azeez Al-Shaair (linebacker)

Titans

Nominee: Jeffery Simmons (lineman)

Vikings

Nominee: C.J.Ham (fullback)

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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