Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead was named the 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner.
Jaguars DE Arik Armstead is the 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year presented by @Nationwide! #WPMOY #NFLHonors@arikarmstead @Jaguars pic.twitter.com/O83L76668R
— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2025
Each year, one player from each NFL team is nominated for the award and the winner is announced at the NFL Honors prior to the Super Bowl. This was the fifth time that Armstead had been nominated for the award.
As mentioned on the Jaguars’ team site, Armstead established the Armstead Academic Project in 2019, “an initiative that ensures every student, regardless of their socioeconomic status, has direct access to the resources they need to thrive, unlock their potential and achieve their goals.”
Armstead has also been active in the Jacksonville community over the last year since signing with the Jaguars.
“This award represents the power of service, the responsibility to uplift others, and the impact we can create through education,” said Armstead.
Armstead was a first-round pick by San Francisco in the 2015 NFL draft. He’s totaled 35.5 sacks in his career, along with 331 total tackles, 46 tackles for loss, and 46 quarterback hits.
Watch the video below to see Armstead’s full acceptance speech:
“I believe in humanity.” – @arikarmstead#WPMOY | #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/1TNm1l76w3
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) February 7, 2025
