32 nominees were announced for the WALTER PAYTON NFL MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE. The 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on February 2, the eve of Super Bowl LIII, on CBS. NFL Honors will be at Fox Theatre in Atlanta.
Representing the best of the NFL’s commitment to philanthropy and community impact, the players selected were chosen as his team’s Man of the Year and is now eligible to win the national award. Considered one of the league’s most prestigious honors, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. First established in 1970, the national award was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back WALTER PAYTON.
Five hundred thousand dollars will be donated in the name of the 2018 winner. $250,000 will be donated in his name to expand Character Playbook, the NFL and United Way’s digital character education program. An additional donation of $250,000 will be donated to the charity of his choice. All other 31 nominees will receive a donation of $50,000 in their name to expand Character Playbook, and an additional donation of up to $50,000 to their charity of choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation, Nationwide and United Way Worldwide.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Nationwide’s 4th annual Charity Challenge, a social media campaign designed to support and promote team nominees. Fans can vote by using #WPMOYChallenge on Twitter with their favorite nominee’s last name somewhere in the post between December 6 and January 13. The player whose unique hashtag is used the most will receive a $25,000 contribution to their charity of choice, courtesy of Nationwide. Hashtag information and official rules can be found at nfl.com/manoftheyear.
The 2018 NFL MAN OF THE YEAR Nominees:
| TEAM | NOMINEE | |
| Arizona Cardinals | Antoine Bethea | |
| Atlanta Falcons | Grady Jarrett | |
| Baltimore Ravens | Brandon Carr | |
| Buffalo Bills | Lorenzo Alexander | |
| Carolina Panthers | Julius Peppers | |
| Chicago Bears | Trey Burton | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Carlos Dunlap | |
| Cleveland Browns | Christian Kirksey | |
| Dallas Cowboys | Dak Prescott | |
| Denver Broncos | Von Miller | |
| Detroit Lions | Matthew Stafford | |
| Green Bay Packers | Kenny Clark | |
| Houston Texans | Whitney Mercilus | |
| Indianapolis Colts | Jabaal Sheard | |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Blake Bortles | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Dustin Colquitt | |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Corey Liuget | |
| Los Angeles Rams | Andrew Whitworth | |
| Miami Dolphins | Kenny Stills | |
| Minnesota Vikings | Kyle Rudolph | |
| New England Patriots | Devin McCourty | |
| New Orleans Saints | Mark Ingram | |
| New York Giants | Michael Thomas | |
| New York Jets | Kelvin Beachum | |
| Oakland Raiders | Marshawn Lynch | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Chris Long | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Cameron Heyward | |
| San Francisco 49ers | Robbie Gould | |
| Seattle Seahawks | K.J. Wright | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Gerald McCoy | |
| Tennessee Titans | Jurrell Casey | |
| Washington Redskins | Vernon Davis |