Full List of Every Walter Payton Man of the Year Award Winner

The prestigious honor predates its namesake's NFL tenure.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2012. / Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Every NFL player wants to win the league's myriad awards for on-field excellence—MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and so on.

However, winning the league's Walter Payton Man of the Year award conveys a special brand of immortality. The award—which "recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field"—has been given out since before its future namesake, Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, debuted in the NFL. That the award was renamed for Payton in 1999 only increased its stature.

As the league prepares to crown a 2024 winner, here's a look back at which players have won the award since its 1970 inception.

Full List of Every Walter Payton Man of the Year Award Winner

YEAR	WINNER	POSITION	TEAM
1970	Johnny Unitas	Quarterback	Baltimore Colts
1971	John Hadl	Quarterback	San Diego Chargers
1972	Willie Lanier	Linebacker	Kansas City Chiefs
1973	Len Dawson	Quarterback	Kansas City Chiefs
1974	George Blanda	Quarterback	Oakland Raiders
1975	Ken Anderson	Quarterback	Cincinnati Bengals
1976	Franco Harris	Fullback	Pittsburgh Steelers
1977	Walter Payton	Running back	Chicago Bears
1978	Roger Staubach	Quarterback	Dallas Cowboys
1979	Joe Greene	Defensive tackle	Pittsburgh Steelers
1980	Harold Carmichael	Wide receiver	Philadelphia Eagles
1981	Lynn Swann	Wide receiver	Pittsburgh Steelers
1982	Joe Theismann	Quarterback	Washington
1983	Rolf Benirschke	Kicker	San Diego Chargers
1984	Marty Lyons	Defensive tackle	New York Jets
1985	Dwight Stephenson	Center	Miami Dolphins
1986	Reggie Williams	Linebacker	Cincinnati Bengals
1987	Dave Duerson	Defensive back	Chicago Bears
1988	Steve Largent	Wide receiver	Seattle Seahawks
1989	Warren Moon	Quarterback	Houston Oilers
1990	Mike Singletary	Linebacker	Chicago Bears
1991	Anthony Munoz	Offensive tackle	Cincinnati Bengals
1992	John Elway	Quarterback	Denver Broncos
1993	Derrick Thomas	Linebacker	Kansas City Chiefs
1994	Junior Seau	Linebacker	San Diego Chargers
1995	Boomer Esiason	Quarterback	New York Jets
1996	Darrell Green	Cornerback	Washington
1997	Troy Aikman	Quarterback	Dallas Cowboys
1998	Dan Marino	Quarterback	Miami Dolphins
1999	Cris Carter	Wide receiver	Minnesota Vikings
2000	Derrick Brooks and Jim Flanigan	Linebacker and defensive tackle	Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears
2001	Jerome Bettis	Running back	Pittsburgh Steelers
2002	Troy Vincent	Cornerback	Philadelphia Eagles
2003	Will Shields	Offensive guard	Kansas City Chiefs
2004	Warrick Dunn	Running back	Atlanta Falcons
2005	Peyton Manning	Quarterback	Indianapolis Colts
2006	Drew Brees and LaDainian Tomlinson	Quarterback and running back	New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers
2007	Jason Taylor	Defensive end	Miami Dolphins
2008	Kurt Warner	Quarterback	Arizona Cardinals
2009	Brian Waters	Offensive guard	Kansas City Chiefs
2010	Madieu Williams	Safety	Minnesota Vikings
2011	Matt Birk	Center	Baltimore Ravens
2012	Jason Witten	Tight end	Dallas Cowboys
2013	Charles Tillman	Cornerback	Chicago Bears
2014	Thomas Davis	Linebacker	Carolina Panthers
2015	Anquan Boldin	Wide receiver	San Francisco 49ers
2016	Larry Fitzgerald and Eli Manning	Wide receiver and quarterback	Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants
2017	J.J. Watt	Defensive end	Houston Texans
2018	Chris Long	Defensive end	Philadelphia Eagles
2019	Calais Campbell	Defensive end	Jacksonville Jaguars
2020	Russell Wilson	Quarterback	Seattle Seahawks
2021	Andrew Whitworth	Offensive tackle	Los Angeles Rams
2022	Dak Prescott	Quarterback	Dallas Cowboys
2023	Cameron Heyward	Defensive tackle	Pittsburgh Steelers

When will this year's Walter Payton Man of the Year be announced?

Per the NFL, the winner will be announced during the league's annual awards show on Feb. 6.

---

More of the Latest Around the NFL

feed