Grady Jarrett named Atlanta Falcons’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Grady Jarrett has been named the Atlanta Falcons Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, the team announced today. As the Falcons winner, Jarrett will be the club’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide. Considered one of the most prestigious honors, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. This year’s nomination marks Jarrett’s second time being selected by the Falcons, with his first coming in 2018. 

Jarrett has been a staple in the Atlanta community and beyond throughout his career. This year alone, through his Grady Gives Foundation, he spearheaded several events focused on anti-bullying as part of his “Big Men Don’t Bully” campaign, donated $75,000 in scholarships to help young students from underprivileged backgrounds advance their academic careers, and raised over $150,000 during his annual Grady Gives Weekend, a weekend dedicated to giving back to the Atlanta community. His weekend consists of a fundraiser at TopGolf, a free football camp for over 400 youth in his hometown area of Rockdale County and his Big Man 7-on-7 tournament for local high school football players. 

On top of giving through his foundation, Jarrett focused on providing one-on-one interactions with multiple children experiencing hardships in the city of Atlanta through visits at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Shepherd Center. He also created numerous interactions with the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, hosting Rally Kids and their families out to a bowling night and helping pick out their outfits for the annual Rally on the Runway fashion show fundraiser. Jarrett served as the Honorary Chair of Rally on the Runway and walked the runway with patients, helping Rally Foundation raise over $700,000 for pediatric cancer research this year alone. To date, Grady has helped Rally Foundation raise over two million dollars as Rally’s National Spokesperson.  

Jarrett has been a staple partner with the Atlanta Mission since becoming a Falcon in 2015. This past spring, Jarrett headlined the Falcons “404 Day” efforts at the facility, serving a home-cooked meal, hosting an Easter egg hunt and making arts and crafts with the women and children of the Atlanta Mission: My Sister’s House. He also recently hosted his eighth consecutive Thanksgiving dinner at the Atlanta Mission: The Shepherd’s Inn, providing a home-cooked meal for over 300 men experiencing homelessness in the city of Atlanta in addition to providing 1,000 turkeys to families in need in his hometown area of Rockdale County. 

On the field, Jarrett is the heart and soul of the Falcons defense. In his 10-year career with Atlanta, Jarrett has seen action in 147 games, making 132 starts, and has totaled 481 tackles (258 solo) and 36.5 sacks. Last season, his ninth in Atlanta, Jarrett tore his ACL in the beginning defensive series in Week 8, which sidelined him for the season. He worked tirelessly to rehab his injury, and in 2024, returned as the leader of Atlanta’s defense, being named a team captain for the sixth time in his career. He quickly added another accolade to his resume in his return in Week 1: becoming the franchise record holder in quarterback hits, surpassing John Abraham (117), with 125 to date. This season, he has started all 12 games posting 38 tackles (21 solo), 11 quarterback hits, six tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.   

As a nominee for the league award, Jarrett will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field.     

All 32 nominees will be recognized for their achievements during the week leading up to Super Bowl LIX. The 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winner will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air nationally on FOX and NFL Network on Thursday, Feb. 6.   

Each nominee will receive up to $55,000 and the award winner will receive up to a $265,000 donation to their charity of choice. All donations are made possible by the NFL Foundation and Nationwide Foundation.   

Fans are once again encouraged to participate in Nationwide’s annual Charity Challenge, a social media and online contest that allows fans to show support for their favorite Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee. Fans can vote on X/Twitter by posting #WPMOYChallenge along with the last name/X handle of their chosen nominee or by voting directly on NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. The nominee who receives the most collective hashtag mentions and online votes will win an additional $35,000 donation from Nationwide to the charity of their choice, with the runner-up receiving $10,000 and the third-place winner receiving $5,000. Charity Challenge voting takes place from Thursday, Dec. 5 to Sunday, Jan. 6. 

Steven Burroughs