The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide is the league’s most prestigious honor, recognizing players who excel on the field and demonstrate a commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game.
“The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is our league’s most revered honor, celebrating players for their excellence both on and off the field,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “These 32 men represent the best of the NFL, and the incredible contributions they make to their teams and communities every day continue to keep Walter’s legacy alive.”
Below are the AFC South nominees.
Houston Texans, Azeez Al-Shaair
Excellence on the Field
- Team captain in both seasons with Houston
- Started all 19 games since joining the Texans in 2024
- Recorded 121 tackles, eight tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, 2.0 sacks, nine passes defensed, and three forced fumbles since arriving in Houston
- Career totals include 483 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks, 20 passes defensed, and five forced fumbles
- Leader of a Texans defense that ranks among the NFL’s best since 2024:
- Second-fewest yards allowed per game
- Third-fewest passing yards allowed
- Fifth-fewest points allowed
- Recognized by Head Coach DeMeco Ryans as an intentional leader and respected presence across the entire locker room
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
In his second season with the Texans, Al-Shaair has continued to show up consistently for the Houston community, prioritizing service rooted in empathy, access, and opportunity.
He has spent time with United Way, an organization that supported his family during his childhood, reinforcing a full-circle commitment to giving back. Al-Shaair also visited Covenant House alongside teammates and coaches to provide support and free haircuts to youth in need, recognized local firefighters on National First Responders Day, and celebrated champions from the Texans’ Girls Flag Football Program.
Recently, Al-Shaair hosted a movie night at NRG Stadium for students from HYPE Freedom School, a nonprofit focused on enriching learning opportunities outside of the classroom. The experience was designed to inspire and affirm students through connection and visibility.
In addition, Al-Shaair serves as a sponsor of the Texans Community Huddle Ticket Program, ensuring individuals and families who may not otherwise attend an NFL game can experience Texans football firsthand. Each home game, students from HYPE Freedom School and the Muslim Organization of Sports, Socials, and Education (MOSSE) receive tickets, food vouchers, and parking passes through his support.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Al-Shaair has demonstrated a consistent commitment to service since arriving in Houston, embracing opportunities to support youth, families, and underserved communities.
He regularly provides mentorship to youth organizations both locally and internationally, including outreach to youth overseas in Palestine. His service also includes supporting organizations focused on single mothers and families experiencing food insecurity.
Whether through mentorship, resource support, or community engagement, Al-Shaair’s approach to giving back reflects his belief in meeting people where they are and using his platform to uplift those who need it most.
Indianapolis Colts, Kenny Moore II
Excellence on the Field
- One of the NFL’s premier slot cornerbacks since entering the league in 2017
- Recorded his third career pick-six in Week 3 vs. Tennessee
- One of three active NFL players with at least 600 tackles, 20 interceptions, and 10 sacks
- First pure cornerback to reach those benchmarks since Hall of Famer Ronde Barber
- One of six active players with at least five defensive touchdowns
- Consistently ranks among Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded run-defending cornerbacks
- Four-time team captain and defensive communicator
- Former undrafted free agent whose career reflects durability, physicality, and consistency
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
Authentic connection remains at the core of Moore’s community impact. In October, he participated in a Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital event at Lucas Oil Stadium, spending time with kids receiving care and helping them design letterman jackets for a “homecoming” experience. One child shared a hand-washing celebration idea with Moore, which he promised to use. Less than a week later, after recording a sack against Tennessee, Moore honored that promise on the field.
In 2025, Moore continued his weekly mentorship visits at Cardinal Ritter High School in Indianapolis, building long-term relationships with students and reinforcing accountability, growth, and goal-setting. He also hosts students from Cardinal Ritter at Colts home games, providing tickets and pregame meet-and-greet opportunities.
Moore remains a deeply involved board member of A Kid Again, attending meetings and supporting initiatives that provide children battling serious illnesses with opportunities to experience joy and normalcy. He also participated in events with Kids’ Voice of Indiana, spoke at the Indiana Principals Convention, and helped surprise Indiana’s High School Man of the Year.
In his hometown of Valdosta, Georgia, Moore hosted his annual youth football camp and expanded his reach internationally by hosting football camps in Germany during the Colts’ global programming this spring.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Moore founded the Love One Foundation in 2022, focusing efforts in Valdosta, Georgia, and Indianapolis. Following Hurricane Helene, the foundation partnered with a local restauranteur to provide approximately 13,000 free meals to residents and first responders. In 2023, Moore donated $10,000 to support meal distribution after Hurricane Idalia.
Through Love One, Moore has hosted annual free youth football camps, celebrity softball fundraisers, and donated to organizations such as Reach Georgia. In Indianapolis, Moore is a consistent presence at Colts Community Tuesday events and regularly hosts children battling serious illnesses on gamedays.
In 2023, the foundation launched the Kenny Moore Birthday Club, ensuring foster children receive a cake and gift on their birthday. The foundation has also donated coats and shoes to foster youth in partnership with Firefly.
Moore’s long-standing relationship with A Kid Again includes serving on its board since 2020 and supporting the Mighty Mason Fund for Palliative Care. In 2020, he raised $20,000 through a gaming tournament. His friendship with “Mighty” Mason Garvey, a child battling cancer whom Moore visited more than 40 times, remains one of the most defining examples of his commitment. Moore and Mason running onto the field together at Lucas Oil Stadium stands as a lasting symbol of the authenticity and depth behind his service.
Jacksonville Jaguars, Logan Cooke
Excellence on the Field
- Seventh-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft and the longest-tenured player on the Jaguars’ roster
- Appeared in 119 career games, the most by a punter in franchise history
- Career averages of 47.4 gross yards and 43.5 net yards per punt
- Owns the sixth-best gross punting average in NFL history
- Holds the best net punting average since the NFL began tracking the statistic in 1976
- Named Second-Team Associated Press All-Pro in 2024
- Earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2025
- Locker-room leader whose experience and consistency earned him a four-year contract extension following Day 1 of 2025 minicamp
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
In 2025, Cooke continued to center his community impact around global access to clean water and local service in Northeast Florida through the Logan Cooke Foundation and Zoe Ministries.
This year, two additional water well projects were completed in Namodo and Cheptungus, Kenya, together serving nearly 2,000 people who previously walked up to six kilometers daily for water. To further expand access, Cooke launched Punting for Clean Water, pledging $1,000 for every punt placed inside the 20-yard line during the 2025–26 season. Through the first half of the season alone, he has committed $10,000 toward the initiative, with a goal of raising $20,000 to fund additional wells.
Cooke remains highly active in Jaguars Community Tuesdays, regularly reading to students, participating in youth football camps, and engaging with local schools. During the season, he has invited children and young adults battling cancer to Jaguars home games, hosting them on the sidelines and surprising them with customized jerseys in recognition of their courage.
He also continues the Ronald McDonald House Holiday Party tradition, now involving his family, bringing joy, gifts, and quality time to families receiving life-saving medical care.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Before formally launching the Logan Cooke Foundation in 2021, Cooke and his wife, Mary, personally partnered with Zoe Ministries to fund clean water wells in rural Kenya. Since then, the partnership has delivered access to safe, life-sustaining water to more than 5,000 people through four completed boreholes.
In 2024, Cooke traveled to Kenya to witness the impact firsthand and assist in identifying future well sites. That same year, the Foundation raised more than $100,000, fully funding five to six additional wells, with 100 percent of proceeds directed to Zoe Ministries.
Locally, Cooke has been a fixture in pediatric and family-centered outreach. In 2020, he joined teammates to purchase holiday gifts for Wolfson Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House. Since 2022, he has led the annual Ronald McDonald House Holiday Party, spending time with families through arts and crafts, games, and shared experiences.
Throughout his career in Jacksonville, Cooke has also participated in hospital visits, Jaguars community initiatives, and the Tim Tebow Foundation’s Night to Shine, serving as a companion to individuals with special needs. Across every effort, Cooke’s service reflects consistency, humility, and a commitment to making both local and global impact.
Tennessee Titans, Jeffery Simmons
Excellence on the Field
- Three-time Pro Bowler and five-time team captain
- Anchor of the Titans’ defense and one of the longest-tenured players on the roster
- Since entering the league in 2019, has played and started more games than any other Titans player
- Through Week 8 of the 2025 season, led all NFL defensive tackles in sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (8)
- Ranked among defensive tackles (through Week 8, 2025):
- Top five in sacks, tackles, quarterback pressures, and tackles for loss
- One of only three defensive tackles since 2021 to record at least five sacks in four consecutive seasons
- Since 2019, ranks top five among defensive tackles in:
- Quarterback pressures
- Defensive snaps played
- Tackles
- Tackles for loss
- Sacks
- One of only two defensive tackles (alongside Cameron Heyward) to rank top five in all five categories since 2019
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
Through his Give Em A Reason Foundation, Simmons continues to center his impact on youth empowerment, opportunity creation, and hope through sport.
In 2025, Simmons launched the Sack for Sports Equity campaign, pledging $980 for every sack recorded during the season to support students experiencing housing instability in Nashville. Funds directly assist participants in the HERO Program by covering sports physicals, transportation, and essential equipment needed to play. He also donated new shoulder pads to the Maplewood High School football team.
Simmons deepened his partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee by hosting a fishing event for 15 mentor-mentee matches and taking six local high school students on a suit-fitting experience at Men’s Wearhouse, offering mentorship and support beyond athletics.
This year, Simmons partnered with Fund Recovery and Reach United to Tackle Overdoses Now, helping install naloxone vending machines in Mississippi and Tennessee. By lending his voice and visibility, Simmons is actively working to erase stigma around overdose prevention and expand access to life-saving resources.
In his hometown of Macon, Mississippi, Simmons revitalized youth football and cheerleading programs by donating $50,000 to support uniforms, equipment, and field maintenance. He also hosted his third annual Community Funday, a neighborhood block party featuring food vendors, family activities, and a surprise performance by Jelly Roll. Additionally, Simmons hosted his annual free football camp in Starkville, Mississippi, welcoming a record 600 campers.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Since being drafted in 2019, Simmons has consistently honored the promise he made on draft night: to be present, trusted, and impactful in the community.
In 2024, Simmons hosted more than 60 students from Backfield in Motion at Nissan Stadium for a Thanksgiving celebration, providing meals, Crocs, and turkeys for their families. In 2023, he organized a drive-thru turkey distribution that served more than 500 families.
Simmons has also served as honorary chair for Rally on the Runway for the past two years, a pediatric cancer fundraiser that has raised nearly $1 million. As chair, he recruits fellow Titans players to escort children impacted by cancer during the event.
He regularly visits Seacrest Studios at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, engaging patients through live broadcasts and personal encouragement. Simmons is also a consistent presence at Titans community activations, including Fireball Fridays, T-Rac School Shows, NFL Flag tournaments, and visits to the Juvenile Detention Center alongside teammates and community partners.
Across every initiative, Simmons’ approach is grounded in consistency, presence, and belief. Whether supporting youth facing poverty, illness, incarceration, or addiction, his mission remains clear: give the next generation a reason to hope and keep going.
All 32 club winners will be recognized for their achievements during the week leading up to Super Bowl LX in the Bay Area. The national winner of the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special airing on Thursday, Feb. 5.
To learn more about the stories of all 32 players and for more information about the award, please visit NFL.com/ManOfTheYear.
First & Jenn 
Leave a comment