What Walter Payton Man of the Year Nomination Means to Jaguars' Logan Cooke

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Earlier this week, Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke was nominated for one of the NFL's top honors in the Walkter Payton Man of the Year Award. In the Jaguars' locker room, Cooke detailed what the award means to him.

Watch Cooke discuss below

For Cooke, the nomination means many things -- but perhaps most importantly, it means a moment to recognize his wife, Mary, who is a pivotal piece to his philanthropy work and has been since the Jaguars drafted him.

"Yeah, it's cool. It's definitely something that I feel like my wife should have her name on it just as much as I do, you know, I mean, a lot of the stuff, the way she taught me how to treat people, love people, that wasn't me before I met her," Cooke said.

"And so, you know, I keep a lot of this to her, a lot of credit to her, all the foundation. I mean, you know, the idea was both our ideas, but, you know, she's, you know, she's definitely the backbone of a lot of it. And so the way she leads me and leads other people, she's definitely more deserving than I am."

Cooke, who hails from the same hometown as Payton, shares a locker room with last year's award winner Arik Armstead. And as a result, he has been able to see firsthand just why this award is so important and how many people can now benefit from the increased platform and recognition.

Nov 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke (9) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"I am not gonna lie. Past couple years, our guys who kind of help us out with our foundations and whatnot, we kind of talked about some things, and he's talked about, you know, trying to push our foundation, of things for awards and whatnot. And I was always very like, I'm good, you know, not even a cliche way. But I'm just like, it's all right. Like, give it to somebody that, whatever, does some other stuff," Cooke said.

"But once I found out, it brings, you know, he was like, well, it brings more light to your organization, and also can, can help more financially, the way the NFL gives into it. And so once I found that out, I was more on board, you know, because, you know, what we do ain't about us. It's definitely about, you know, loving God and love people. That's kind of the way we try to treat it.

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