The Denver Broncos named left tackle Garett Bolles the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee on Tuesday.
This is Bolles’ first nomination for the award, which is given annually to the player who displays excellence on and off the field. Bolles’ work with Colorado and Utah youth with learning disabilities and youth in Colorado detention centers among other community outreach highlights the leader he is on and off the field.
Bolles finds himself in great company, with several former Broncos teammates who have been recipients of the honor. In 1992, Denver Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway won the award; in 2005, fellow Hall of Famer Peyton Manning received the award as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, and current Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson won the award during his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020.
Each nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award gets to wear a helmet decal for the rest of the season in recognition of the honor. Those who win the award, like Wilson, get to wear a jersey patch with a silhouette of the award.
Last year, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott won the award.
