The NFL has announced the 32 nominees — one from each team in the league — for this season’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. The 32 players will each wear the Darth Vader-esque Payton logo as a rear-helmet decal this week and will continue wearing it for the rest of this season (including the postseason, for the players whose teams advance).
Here are the nominees:
- 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: 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
The winner will get to wear the Payton logo as a jersey patch for the rest of his career. Three active players currently wear that patch: Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (who won the award at the conclusion of the 2022 season), Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (2020, when he was with the Seahawks), and Falcons defensive lineman Calais Campbell (2019, when he was with the Jaguars). Here’s how the Payton patch looks on their jerseys:
The winner of this season’s award will be announced on Feb. 8 — the Thursday before the Super Bowl.
I really feel the award patch should just be the helmet sticker instead, and if you need a candidate sticker, maybe put the image on a circle sticker with the candidacy year on it. Sticking an individual’s award patch on a football jersey just doesn’t feel right or look right to me.
Agree all the way.