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 West nominees.
Denver Broncos, Garett Bolles
Excellence on the Field
- Selected 20th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft
- Fourteen-year NFL veteran with 125+ career starts
- Earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2020 after allowing zero sacks
- Maintained top-tier pass-blocking grades across multiple seasons
- Posted an 88.2 pass-blocking grade in 2024, ranking among the top 10 NFL tackles
- In 2025, ranked among league leaders in lowest pressure rate allowed (1.9%)
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
In 2025, Bolles expanded his community impact by launching the Bjorem & Bolles (B&B) Apraxia Education Initiative in partnership with speech-language pathologist Jennie Bjorem. Inspired by his son Kingston’s diagnosis with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Bolles funded the opening of a first-of-its-kind education and training center in Colorado focused on early identification, education, and support for children with speech and language-based learning differences.
The center serves as a training hub for educators, speech-language pathologists, and families, emphasizing long-term workforce development and improved early intervention outcomes. The initiative addresses a critical gap in education and diagnosis for Childhood Apraxia of Speech, a neurological motor speech disorder that is often misdiagnosed due to its low prevalence and complexity.
Bolles’ work on the initiative earned him NFLPA Week 1 Community MVP honors in 2025. In addition to the Apraxia Initiative, he continued his involvement in juvenile justice counseling programs and hosted free youth football camps, reinforcing his focus on accessibility, inclusion, and mentorship.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Since entering the league in 2017, Bolles has built a sustained record of service centered on youth mentorship and educational advocacy. A two-time Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee, his long-term work has focused on youth involved in the juvenile justice system and children with learning differences.
Since 2020, Bolles has mentored more than 150 youth through the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center and the Arapahoe County 18th Judicial District Youth Probation Court. He maintains a consistent presence through weekly visits, personal storytelling, and individualized encouragement, including recorded messages for probation officers to share with youth.
In 2023, Bolles received the Raymond C. Frenchmore Juvenile Law Award for his service to the juvenile justice system. Drawing from his own experiences with ADHD and learning challenges, he founded the GB3 Foundation, supporting youth with language-based learning differences through mentorship, educational resources, and holistic development.
Bolles has also partnered with Vertical Skills Academy in Colorado, regularly visiting classrooms, funding resources, and providing hands-on learning experiences for students. His community work remains rooted in long-term presence, personal accountability, and sustained mentorship aligned with the values of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelce
Excellence on the Field
- Three-time Super Bowl Champion with five Super Bowl appearances
- Entered the 2025 season with a franchise-record 174 consecutive games with a reception
- Franchise leader in receiving yards (12,151) and receiving touchdowns (77)
- One of two Chiefs players to surpass 11,000 combined yards
- Holds the NFL record for most receptions by a tight end through 10 seasons (814)
- Owns the most 100-yard receiving games by a tight end in NFL history (37)
- Second among all NFL players in postseason receiving touchdowns (20)
- Leads all NFL players with 178 career postseason receptions
- Part of 54 career touchdown connections with Patrick Mahomes, tied for third-most QB–TE connections in league history
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
Kelce continues to expand his impact through the Ignition Lab, an initiative he helped establish five years ago to provide inner-city youth with industry skills, career exposure, and life development opportunities.
In 2025, his focus included supporting summer internships, expanding evening programming, and launching new career pathways in cybersecurity, construction, and automotive training. Students in the automotive pathway repair vehicles for families supported by Operation Breakthrough, gaining hands-on experience while serving the community.
The inaugural Ignition Lab class graduated high school this year with work experience, internships, improved academic outcomes, and industry credentials. Kelce has rallied local businesses to support the program through internships and special projects, including car donations facilitated through his New Heights podcast.
With support from his family, the Ignition Lab has now served more than 1,000 students. Participants have gained skills in computer refurbishing, welding, automotive repair, fabrication, coding, graphic design, green technology, and digital media. Over the past two years, teens completed more than 25,000 mentoring hours and earned 96 industry certifications. This year, graphic design students are creating Kelce’s My Cause My Cleats design.
Through 87 & Running, Kelce continues to invest in long-term opportunities for Kansas City youth beyond his playing career.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Kelce’s community work in Kansas City has been anchored by a long-standing partnership with Operation Breakthrough, an organization serving children living in poverty, many of whom have experienced trauma at an early age.
What began as a single classroom reading visit evolved into sustained involvement, including after-school programming, access to sports camps and games, wilderness camp scholarships, and funding for robotics and coding labs. Kelce also helped provide thousands of meals during the pandemic and through continued food distribution efforts.
In 2020, recognizing a gap in programming for teens, Kelce purchased and transformed a vacant building into what became the Ignition Lab. Since then, he has funded e-sports initiatives, robotics teams at multiple school levels, and teen-run businesses, including a food truck, hydroponic farm, and film studio.
For six consecutive years, Kelce has hosted the Kelce Celebrity Challenge to fund staff and programming at Operation Breakthrough. His service has earned recognition from organizations such as the Missouri After School Network and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, where he was named Role Model of the Year in 2015. Kelce was also selected as the Chiefs’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2020 and 2024.
Las Vegas Raiders, Maxx Crosby
Excellence on the Field
- Entered the NFL in 2019 and ranks first among all defensive linemen in tackles for loss (105)
- Ranks fourth among defensive linemen in total tackles (364) and quarterback hits (144)
- Has recorded 59.5 career sacks, ranking third in Raiders franchise history
- Owns the most tackles by a Raiders defensive lineman through his first six seasons
- One of only two NFL players to record at least seven sacks in each of his first six seasons
- Multi-year team captain who routinely plays nearly every defensive snap
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
In 2025, Crosby expanded his community impact through the continued growth of the Maxx Crosby Foundation, focusing on youth development, addiction recovery, and mental health support across Southern Nevada.
This year, the foundation launched a partnership with Hope for the City to provide year-round food assistance, drug prevention education, and essential resources to families throughout the Las Vegas Valley. The partnership supports the launch of the Hope Bus, a mobile outreach unit delivering food, clothing, hygiene supplies, and school essentials directly to Title I schools.
The Maxx Crosby Foundation also provides foundational support for the Electric City Light Show, an annual event delivering meals, toys, and wellness resources to families in need.
Through the Raiders’ One for the Community initiative, Crosby has helped generate charitable funding for the YMCA of Southern Nevada and Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada, linking on-field production to youth opportunity. He also partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada to provide $10,000 in back-to-school support, benefiting 50 students with essential supplies.
Crosby continues to support Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada by hosting Raider for a Day and VIP gameday experiences for children facing serious illness.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Crosby’s service is rooted in long-term commitment and personal connection. Alongside his wife, Rachel, he pledged a $1 million donation to Eastern Michigan University, supporting the school’s Championship Building Plan and expanding opportunities for student-athletes.
He has remained active in youth education and wellness initiatives, supporting Nevada Reading Week, Global Impact Day, and multiple youth football camps, including the Raiders Play Football Skills Camp and C.H.A.M.P. Camp. Crosby regularly mentors high school athletes, offering guidance on film study, preparation, and professionalism.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Crosby delivered virtual messages of encouragement to Clark County School District graduating seniors. He has also supported families facing hardship through holiday initiatives, including the Raiders’ Youth Holiday Party, where he helped provide meals and gifts to 500 children, and Thanksgiving gift card distributions serving 100 families.
Crosby has advocated for the It’s A Penalty campaign to raise awareness around human trafficking and partnered with the Raiders Foundation to support Mission High School, the nation’s first public recovery high school.
Across his career, Crosby’s service reflects consistency, empathy, and a long-term commitment to strengthening the communities he serves.
Los Angeles Chargers, Cameron Dicker
Excellence on the Field
- Most accurate kicker in NFL history, converting 94.1% of career field goal attempts (111-of-118)
- Converted 93-of-95 field goals from under 50 yards (97.9%), the best mark on such attempts in the last 35 years
- Owns five of the eight longest field goals in Chargers franchise history
- Holds the Chargers record with a 59-yard field goal
- As a rookie, set the post-merger record for best field goal percentage by a rookie (min. 15 attempts), making 21-of-22 kicks (95.5%)
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
Fresh off being named the Chargers’ 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee, Dicker has continued to expand his presence and impact throughout Southern California.
Following devastating wildfires early in 2025, Dicker directed his nomination donation to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, personally visiting a local fire station to better understand the needs of affected firefighters. When he learned not all crew members were present, he invited them and their families to Training Camp, hosting them for on-field experiences and personal interaction.
Throughout the year, Dicker has been a consistent presence at Chargers Impact Fund initiatives, including the annual charity golf tournament, Training Camp Pet Adoption, art therapy sessions for cancer patients and caregivers, children’s book readings, Boo at the Bolt events for pediatric cancer families, and Make-A-Wish visits.
Notably, Dicker was the only player to participate twice in the Impact Fund’s Community Corner program during a single season, personally donating $20,000 to provide game-day experiences for local youth and community groups.
In 2025, Dicker also launched his personal foundation, Wholeheartedly, focused on sustainable, hands-on community engagement. Through the foundation, he surprised teachers impacted by wildfires with classroom shopping sprees, hosted bowling nights for Big Brothers Big Sisters participants, and planned holiday initiatives to support people experiencing homelessness and local youth.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Since joining the Chargers during the 2022 season, Dicker has consistently prioritized community involvement. Within days of arriving in Los Angeles, he joined the Chargers Impact Fund’s Bolts Book Club, reading to students and engaging with adoptable pets, setting the tone for his ongoing service.
In 2023, Dicker deepened his involvement through the Chargers’ annual Halloween event for children and families impacted by cancer. After learning one family had followed his career since college, he stayed long after his scheduled appearance to spend meaningful time with them, a gesture that became a defining example of his approach to service.
Dicker has hosted holiday shopping events for youth from Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boys & Girls Clubs, ensuring children could choose their own sports gear and apparel. In 2024, he formed a close partnership with the Friendship Foundation, supporting individuals with disabilities through shared activities, game-day experiences, and personal mentorship. He also helped orchestrate a surprise Super Bowl ticket gift for a Friendship Foundation participant on New Year’s Day.
Across each season, Dicker’s approach to community work has remained consistent: personal, generous, and rooted in showing up fully for those around him.
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