Walter Payton Man Of The Year Nominees

The 32 NFL teams announced their nominees for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Obviously named for the great Walter Payton, the award is presented to a player in recognition of his "outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on it." It has risen to the point that it's one of the most prestigious that the league has to give. It's presentation annually closes the NFL Honors. Drew Brees, Thomas Davis, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, J.J. Watt and Calais Campbell wear a patch on their jersey for as long as they play that identifies them as past winners. The Walter Payron Man of the Year award is a big deal. It should be. Perhaps the best thing about the award is that all 32 nominees deserve to win it. Not only do all 32 nominees deserve it, each of the 32 teams probably have at least a dozen more players that deserve it. So, congratulations and thank you to the 32 nominees and the many other players that deserve to be. 

All 32 nominees will receive a $40,000 donation to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice.

Walter Payton Man Of The Year Nominees

Minnesota Vikings: Eric Kendricks

Green Bay Packers: Corey Linsley

Chicago Bears: Jimmy Graham

Detroit Lions: Trey Flowers

New York Giants: Dalvin Tomlinson

Washington Football Team: Jonathan Allen

Philadelphia Eagles: Rodney McLeod

Dallas Cowboys: Jaylon Smith

Atlanta Falcons: Steven Means

Carolina Panthers: Shaq Thompson

New Orleans Saints: Demario Davis

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans

Arizona Cardinals: Corey Peters

Los Angeles Rams: Andrew Whitworth

San Francisco 49ers: Arik Armstead

Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson

Baltimore Ravens: Bradley Bozeman

Cincinnati Bengals: Geno Atkins

Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett

Pittsburgh Steelers: Vance McDonald

Buffalo Bills: Harrison Phillips

Miami Dolphins: Byron Jones

New England Patriots: Devin McCourty

New York Jets: Pierre Desir

Houston Texans: Michael Thomas

Indianapolis Colts: Jacoby Brissett

Jacksonville Jaguars: Josh Lambo

Tennessee Titans: Kevin Byard

Denver Broncos: Justin Simmons

Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce

Las Vegas Raiders: Alec Ingold

Los Angeles Chargers: Isaac Rochell

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One oddity about the 32 nominees is that New York Jets nominee Pierre Desir was released by the team a couple weeks ago. He's now with the Baltimore Ravens.