PREVIOUS WALTER PAYTON NFL MAN OF THE YEAR WINNERS
| YEAR | WINNER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 – Gladiator Award | Bart Starr | Green Bay Packers |
| 1970 | Johnny Unitas | Baltimore Colts |
| 1971 | John Hadl | San Diego Chargers |
| 1972 | Willie Lanier | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1973 | Len Dawson | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1974 | George Blanda | Oakland Raiders |
| 1975 | Ken Anderson | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1976 | Franco Harris | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1977 | Walter Payton | Chicago Bears |
| 1978 | Roger Staubach | Dallas Cowboys |
| 1979 | Joe Greene | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1980 | Harold Carmichael | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 1981 | Lynn Swann | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1982 | Joe Theismann | Washington Redskins |
| 1983 | Rolf Benirschke | San Diego Chargers |
| 1984 | Marty Lyons | New York Jets |
| 1985 | Dwight Stephenson | Miami Dolphins |
| 1986 | Reggie Williams | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1987 | Dave Duerson | Chicago Bears |
| 1988 | Steven Largent | Seattle Seahawks |
| 1989 | Warren Moon | Houston Oilers |
| 1990 | Mike Singletary | Chicago Bears |
| 1991 | Anthony Munoz | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1992 | John Elway | Denver Broncos |
| 1993 | Derrick Thomas | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1994 | Junior Seau | San Diego Chargers |
| 1995 | Boomer Esiason | New York Jets |
| 1996 | Darrell Green | Washington Redskins |
| 1997 | Troy Aikman | Dallas Cowboys |
| 1998 | Dan Marino | Miami Dolphins |
| 1999 | Cris Carter | Minnesota Vikings |
| 2000 | Derrick Brooks & Jim Flanigan | Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Green Bay Packers |
| 2001 | Jerome Bettis | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2002 | Troy Vincent | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2003 | Will Shields | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2004 | Warrick Dunn | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2005 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts |
| 2006 | LaDainian Tomlinson & Drew Brees | San Diego Chargers / New Orleans Saints |
| 2007 | Jason Taylor | Miami Dolphins |
| 2008 | Kurt Warner | Arizona Cardinals |
| 2009 | Brian Waters | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2010 | Madieu Williams | Minnesota Vikings |
| 2011 | Matt Birk | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2012 | Jason Witten | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2013 | Charles Tillman | Chicago Bears |
| 2014 | Thomas Davis | Carolina Panthers |
| 2015 | Anquan Boldin | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2016 | Larry Fitzgerald & Eli Manning | Arizona Cardinals / New York Giants |
| 2017 | J.J. Watt | Houston Texans |
| 2018 | Chris Long | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2019 | Calais Campbell | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 2020 | Russell Wilson | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2021 | Andrew Whitworth | Los Angeles Rams |
| 2022 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2023 | Cam Heyward | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2024 | Arik Armstead | Jacksonville Jaguars |