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 NFC South nominees.
Atlanta Falcons, A.J. Terrell Jr.
Excellence on the Field
- Through the first six games of the season, allowed just 11 receptions and zero touchdowns
- Recorded four passes defensed and 26 tackles (18 solo) in that span
- Forced a tight-window throw on 33.3% of targets, per Next Gen Stats
- Opposing quarterbacks have a 61.1% completion percentage when targeting him
- Key contributor to a Falcons secondary that led the NFL in passing defense through Week 9
- Since entering the league in 2020, has started all 84 games played
- Career totals include 339 tackles, 53 passes defensed, six interceptions, and four forced fumbles
- First rookie cornerback in franchise history to record an interception and three forced fumbles (2020)
- Named Second-Team AP All-Pro in 2021
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
The A.J. Terrell Jr. Foundation continues to expand its reach across Atlanta, with youth development and community care at the center of its mission.
In 2025, the A.J. Terrell Jr. Academy is set to expand from two schools to three, extending support to nearly 1,000 student-athletes through academic coaching, leadership development, and life-skills programming. Crownucopia, the Foundation’s signature community care initiative, will also exceed previous years’ impact, serving up to 245 residents at Atlanta Mission: My Sister’s House with age-appropriate care packages, hair styling and barber services, and natural hair care education. Terrell also committed to providing a holiday meal and giveaways to men at Atlanta Mission: Shepherd’s Inn.
In November 2024, Terrell was named the NFLPA’s Week 12 Community MVP for Crownucopia. This fall, the Foundation hosted Roller Ball, a celebrity skating fundraiser designed to expand the Academy’s reach to more than 800 students by 2026.
Over the summer, Terrell invested more than $50,000 into his partnership with CAMP HBCYouth, supporting field days and extracurricular programming for youth who otherwise lacked access. In July 2025, he sponsored and participated in a field day at Morehouse College, featuring a football camp, leadership development, and activities for pre-K through fifth-grade students.
Terrell also continues to raise awareness for his Foundation through My Cause My Cleats and remains active in team-wide service initiatives, including Tuesday volunteer events, 404 Day, and Hometown Huddle.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
A first-round pick for his hometown team, Terrell has made community service a defining part of his NFL career since arriving in Atlanta. Even during his first two seasons amid COVID restrictions, he consistently engaged with the community through virtual visits with high school football teams, children’s hospitals, and cancer patients.
Those early efforts led to the creation of the A.J. Terrell Jr. Foundation, built on the principles of systemic awareness, sustainable change, creative collaboration, and empathic leadership. Since launching in 2023, the A.J. Terrell Jr. Academy has supported more than 600 student-athletes across two high schools, helping 90% maintain academic eligibility and achieve an average 25% GPA improvement. The program has delivered over 400 hours of academic coaching and mentorship, connected students with college tours and NIL readiness tools, and provided leadership sessions with educators and professional athletes.
Crownucopia has also become a cornerstone of Terrell’s work. In 2024, the initiative served more than 200 women and children at My Sister’s House, distributing customized care packages and creating meaningful moments through community volunteerism and shared experiences.
Across every effort, Terrell’s approach reflects long-term investment in Atlanta’s youth and families, rooted in consistency, empathy, and a commitment to building opportunity where it’s needed most.
Carolina Panthers, Austin Corbett
Excellence on the Field
- Signed with Carolina as a key free-agent guard in 2022 following a Super Bowl run with the Rams
- Has started at all three interior offensive line positions, providing versatility, continuity, and leadership
- Persevered through significant injuries, including a torn ACL, two MCL injuries to the same knee, and a torn biceps tendon
- Continued to play an important role even while sidelined, mentoring younger linemen, helping new acquisitions acclimate, and sharing lessons from his nine-year NFL career
- A former college walk-on whose approach reflects humility, toughness, and professionalism
- Trusted veteran presence on one of the league’s top offensive lines, valued for reliability, adaptability, and leadership
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
Corbett began the year by co-hosting his fourth annual youth football camp in Nevada alongside fellow NFL lineman Joel Bitonio, continuing a multi-year commitment to youth development in his home state.
After returning to the Carolinas for offseason workouts, Corbett participated in the Panthers’ organization-wide Keep Pounding Day, contributing to team-led service efforts across the region. He and his wife, Madison, also hosted 50 families from A Kid Again for a Halloween costume shopping spree, providing costumes for 120 siblings and creating a memorable, stress-free experience for families navigating serious illness.
On gamedays, Corbett consistently makes time to personally greet Panthers Row of Honor military guests and the Keep Pounding Kid from Levine Children’s Hospital, reinforcing his commitment to recognition, presence, and connection.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Rather than centering his philanthropy around a personal foundation, Corbett has taken a broad-based, team-first approach to community service. Since joining the Panthers in 2022, he has been one of the organization’s most consistently involved players, frequently participating in teammate-led initiatives, community appearances, and annual team service events.
His approach reflects a quiet consistency — showing up wherever needed, supporting others’ causes, and reinforcing the importance of collective impact within the Panthers organization and the communities they serve.
New Orleans Saints, Demario Davis
Excellence on the Field
- Signed with New Orleans in 2018 and has served as a team captain in all eight seasons with the Saints
- One of the most durable and consistent defenders of his era, missing just two games in his career
- Led the Saints in tackles for the seventh consecutive season in 2024 with a team-high 136 stops
- Reached the 100-tackle mark for the eighth straight season and 11th time in 13 NFL campaigns
- Career totals include 1,485 tackles, 44.5 sacks, 62 pass breakups, and nine fumble recoveries
- One of only three active players with at least 1,450 career tackles
- The only NFL player with 500+ tackles and 20+ sacks over the last five seasons
- Career honors include Pro Bowl selections, Associated Press Second-Team All-Pro, PFWA All-NFC, NFL Way to Play Award, and NFC Defensive Player of the Week recognition
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
Davis’ community work in 2025 reflects the same consistency and leadership that defines his play on the field. Through his Devoted Dreamers Foundation, team initiatives, and partnerships with local nonprofits, Davis continues to make a lasting impact across New Orleans and the Gulf South.
As a Community Champion for the Super Bowl LIX Host Committee, Davis participated in nearly 30 events and gifted Super Bowl tickets to individuals connected to local nonprofits. He regularly donates his suite at Saints home games to youth organizations, hosting postgame on-field meet-and-greets to create memorable experiences for young fans.
Mentorship remains a central focus of Davis’ work. He hosted a five-month Saturday Mentoring Series designed to develop athletic ability, leadership, mindset, financial literacy, and character. His Leadership Program serves young leaders ages 16–24, connecting them with professionals in the sports industry while emphasizing workforce development, servant leadership, and equity.
Alongside his wife, Tamela, Davis will host Dinner with the Davises: Carnival Day, welcoming 300 children and families from the Boys & Girls Club for a day of encouragement and celebration. He also co-chairs Covenant House New Orleans’ Sleep Out to raise awareness around youth homelessness.
Additional efforts this year include food donations to local high school football teams and food pantries, hosting food drives and Thanksgiving basket distributions, and providing microgrants to eight locally owned businesses through his Fueling Dreams campaign. A strong advocate for youth football, Davis supports the Saints Girls High School Flag Football program as an honorary captain, mentor, and sideline reporter, while also serving as a Global Flag Football Ambassador for the NFL and Saints, leading clinics internationally, including in France.
His reach also includes scholarships through the P.E.A.R.L.S. program, literacy initiatives, support for Big Brothers Big Sisters, pediatric cancer encouragement with Ochsner Health System, gun violence prevention programming, and activations supporting anti-human trafficking efforts across the region. Davis plans to host multiple Christmas events to close out the year.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Davis’ impact off the field has been recognized consistently throughout his career. He has earned multiple honors for community service, including Saints Man of the Year nominations, the Bart Starr Award, United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Award, the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame’s Jimmy Collins Award, and the Athletes in Action Call to Courage Award.
At the core of his legacy is the Devoted Dreamers Academy, which focuses on youth empowerment, mentorship, and leadership development throughout New Orleans and the Gulf South. Davis has hosted mentorship events through his 7-on-7 teams, led the Devoted Dreamers Encounter Conference, Go On Girl Conference, and P.E.A.R.L.S. for Girls alongside his wife, and organized youth forums addressing gun violence in partnership with community organizations and the Players Coalition.
Davis has also used his voice for systemic change, authoring op-eds on police reform and jury unanimity laws, contributing to legislative awareness that helped drive reform in Louisiana. His advocacy has included re-entry programs, career development initiatives, and economic mobility efforts through co-founding S.H.I.E.L.D. 1.
Additional past efforts include disaster relief support for Hurricane Ida and the Flint water crisis, funding for pediatric cancer and vision research, holiday gift distributions, school visits, and economic support for families impacted by violence. Across every chapter of his career, Davis’ service has been rooted in faith, leadership, and an unwavering belief in empowering others to dream bigger.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield
Excellence on the Field
Since arriving in Tampa Bay ahead of the 2023 season, Mayfield has revitalized both his career and the Buccaneers’ offense, delivering back-to-back standout seasons and remaining on pace for another in 2025. Signed as an unrestricted free agent in March 2023, he has since posted career highs in completions, passing yards, passing touchdowns, and completion percentage, leading Tampa Bay to consecutive NFC South titles.
A team captain in each of the last three seasons, Mayfield has already etched his name into franchise history. He became the only quarterback in Buccaneers history to earn multiple Pro Bowl selections, receiving honors in both 2023 and 2024, while also setting the single-season franchise records for completion percentage and passer rating in 2024. That same season, Mayfield joined elite company by becoming just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to record 4,000+ passing yards, 40+ touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 70% or higher, alongside Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and Joe Burrow. Originally selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft, Mayfield previously led Cleveland to its first playoff victory in nearly two decades, underscoring his ability to elevate franchises and lead under pressure.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
In 2025, Mayfield expanded his already significant off-field impact through the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation, continuing to focus on opportunity creation, education, and community support. Drawing from his own college journey, the foundation launched the Walk-On Scholarship, awarding two $10,000 scholarships to active walk-on student-athletes, with the potential for renewal over four years.
Mayfield also helped spearhead the inaugural Giving Bowl, a bracket-style, social media-driven fundraising competition featuring fellow Tampa Bay athletes. The initiative raised $92,500 for five local nonprofits, including a $50,000 donation to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, which provides 24/7 support for individuals facing emotional, physical, or situational crises.
Education remains a cornerstone of his work. Through the foundation’s annual Be the Ball fundraising event, Mayfield raised over $250,000 in 2025 to support the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County, helping provide enhanced early childhood learning opportunities across the region. During the holiday season, Mayfield will continue his annual Passing the Joy event, spending time with nearly 100 underserved children alongside his wife, Emily, delivering gifts, hosting activities, and encouraging each child to “pass the joy” forward with a gift card for someone meaningful in their life.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
At every stage of his NFL journey, Mayfield has prioritized giving back. Upon arriving in Tampa Bay in 2023, he and Emily officially launched the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation, hosting their first Be the Ball event before he ever took a snap as a Buccaneer. Over the past three years, the event has raised nearly $600,000 for early childhood education initiatives in the Tampa Bay area.
Mayfield’s generosity has often been deeply personal and timely. When a Florida high school football program faced cancellation due to lack of equipment, he donated nearly $18,000 for helmets and shoulder pads, helping the Space Coast Vipers not only field a team but ultimately win the 2024 SSAA 1A State Championship. Following a devastating hurricane season in 2024, Mayfield contributed $50,000 to Team Rubicon to support disaster relief efforts across the region.
His commitment to service began long before Tampa Bay. Mayfield has worked with Meals on Wheels since his college days at Oklahoma, a relationship he continues to support through fundraising events in Oklahoma City. During his time with the Cleveland Browns, he hosted Passing the Joy annually at a local Boys & Girls Club and has remained an active volunteer with Special Olympics. Across cities and chapters, Mayfield’s approach has remained consistent: show up, give generously, and use his platform to create lasting, community-driven impact.
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.
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