2023 Walter Payton Man Of The Year: Who Will Follow Dak’s Footsteps?
The NFL Announced the 32 Nominees for the Prestigious Man of the Year Award.
Giving Back to the Community 🙌
The Walter Payton Man of the Year award will be announced at the annual broadcast on Thursday, February 8th, 2024 on CBS, during the week of Super Bowl LVIII.
What’s It All About?
Had the legendary Chicago running back, Walter Payton, never deigned to grace the gridiron, this award on February 8th would be called the NFL Man of the Year 2023. But because of Payton’s sublime skills as a player and his altruistic nature as a man, the NFL did the right thing and renamed the award in 1999 shortly before his death to reflect Payton’s selfless nature and propensity to give back to the community.
This year, as in all previous years, there is a nominee for every team, that includes those players whose skills on the playing field are only equaled by their generosity for their communities, the foundations they establish, or the charities they choose to support.
A total of 32 players, one from each team, have been selected by their teams to represent the franchise and reveal the good work they have been doing behind the scenes. The NFL games we watch on television put their athletic gifts on full display but the time each of these men devote to their causes speaks volumes as to who they are when the cameras are turned off.
2023 Nominees
Shortly after the award was announced last year, Dak Prescott made NFL news when he became the latest candidate to claim the prestigious award. The Cowboys quarterback and 2x Pro Bowler have established his own charity called the Faith Fight Finish (FFF) Foundation which acts not only as a bridge between law enforcement and the communities they serve but also focuses on mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and colon cancer research.
.@__AWalkJr thought we were bothering him with another unserious mini mic question and had no idea he was about to receive one of the league’s biggest honors 😂👏@Nationwide | #WPMOY pic.twitter.com/NiDixCYWyi
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 5, 2023
The winner of the award will receive a $250,000 donation from the league to the charity of their choice while up to $55,000 will be allocated towards selected charities based on the nominees’ wishes.
This year we see the likes of Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and LA’s Cooper Kupp as two of the 32 nominees vying for one of the league’s most prestigious awards. The Las Vegas Raiders announced that Pro Bowl defensive end, Maxx Crosby, is their Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee.
Maxximizing his impact on and off the field#WPMOY | @CrosbyMaxx | @Nationwide
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 5, 2023
Speaking of whom, Crosby has been a standout on the field this season, recording 11 ½ sacks to go along with 66 tackles after a dozen games into the NFL season. But what many don’t know is that the tenacious pass rusher is an earnest supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and donated $1 million to his alma mater, Eastern Michigan, to enhance the experience for student-athletes and provide resources for the entire community.
The Nominees from Each Team are as follows:
| TEAM | PLAYER |
|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | Jonathan Ledbetter |
| Atlanta Falcons | Bradley Pinion |
| Baltimore Ravens | Roquan Smith |
| Buffalo Bills | Dion Dawkins |
| Carolina Panthers | Bradley Bozeman |
| Chicago Bears | Justin Jones |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Ted Karras |
| Cleveland Browns | Anthony Walker Jr. |
| Dallas Cowboys | DeMarcus Lawrence |
| Denver Broncos | Garett Bolles |
| Detroit Lions | Frank Ragnow |
| Green Bay Packers | De’Vondre Campbell |
| Houston Texans | Jon Weeks |
| Indianapolis Colts | Zaire Franklin |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Dawuane Smoot |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Patrick Mahomes |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Maxx Crosby |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Derwin James Jr. |
| Los Angeles Rams | Cooper Kupp |
| Miami Dolphins | Alec Ingold |
| Minnesota Vikings | Harrison Phillips |
| New England Patriots | Jonathan Jones |
| New Orleans Saints | Tyrann Mathieu |
| New York Giants | Saquon Barkley |
| New York Jets | Solomon Thomas |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Lane Johnson |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Cameron Heyward |
| San Francisco 49ers | Arik Armstead |
| Seattle Seahawks | Bobby Wagner |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Antoine Winfield Jr. |
| Tennessee Titans | Jeffery Simmons |
| Washington Commanders | Terry McLaurin |
Author: Sin City Sniper
Author: Sin City SniperBusting bookmakers and taking their money is his greatest joy in life. He’s been around the block more than once, knows the players both on and off the field of battle, and uses his experience to serve the bookies a heaping plate of humble pie washed down by a warm glass of their salty tears. You can find him in any number of Vegas books, sniping weak lines and getting paid to do it.
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