Updates

The NFL announced in December the 32 players who were honored as their team’s Man of the Year and who represent the best of the NFL’s commitment to philanthropy and community impact.

The players are eligible to win the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide, which recognizes one player each year for his excellence on and off the field.

Three of the nominees will be selected as finalists for the award, named for the Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton, who died in 1999. Finalists will be announced in January and the winner will be announced during the 5th Annual NFL Honors awards show, which airs nationally on Feb. 6, the night before Super Bowl 50, from 9-11 p.m. ET on CBS.

Each of the nominees receives a $5,000 donation courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide to the charity of his choice. The winner will receive an additional $50,000 donation to his charity, while the two runner-ups will receive an additional $6,000 donation to their charities.

“Serving their communities and philanthropic causes is a strong and long-standing tradition of NFL players,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “These outstanding young men embrace and represent that important commitment of giving back to our communities. We salute and thank our players for their leadership.”

To further celebrate and promote the 32 nominees, Nationwide, the presenting sponsor of the award, will execute an inaugural Charity Challenge. Team nominees will each have a unique hashtag and fans will be encouraged to tweet using player hashtags. The player hashtag that generates the most mentions will win a $20,000 donation to his charity of choice from Nationwide. 

Below is a list of team nominees. For more team nominees and award information, visit NFL.com/manoftheyear.

2015 WALTER PAYTON NFL MAN OF THE YEAR TEAM WINNERS

Arizona Cardinals – Patrick Peterson

Atlanta Falcons – Patrick DiMarco

Baltimore Ravens – Steve Smith Sr.

Buffalo Bills – Eric Wood

Carolina Panthers – Greg Olsen

Chicago Bears – Matt Forté

Cincinnati Bengals – Carlos Dunlap

Cleveland Browns – Gary Barnidge

Dallas Cowboys – Brandon Carr

Denver Broncos – David Bruton Jr.

Detroit Lions – Stephen Tulloch

Green Bay Packers – Sam Barrington

Houston Texans – J.J. Watt

Indianapolis Colts – Dwayne Allen

Jacksonville Jaguars – Zane Beadles

Kansas City Chiefs – Eric Berry

Miami Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill

Minnesota Vikings – Chad Greenway

New England Patriots – Devin McCourty

New Orleans Saints – Benjamin Watson

New York Giants – Eli Manning

New York Jets – Eric Decker

Oakland Raiders – Justin Tuck

Philadelphia Eagles – Connor Barwin

Pittsburgh Steelers – Cameron Heyward

San Diego Chargers – Darrell Stuckey

San Francisco 49ers – Anquan Boldin

Seattle Seahawks – Richard Sherman

St. Louis Rams – Chris Long

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Vincent Jackson

Tennessee Titans – Delanie Walker

Washington Redskins – Ryan Kerrigan