Steelers’ Cameron Heyward named NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year (2024)

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Why did Cameron Heyward win the Man of the Year? ›

We are extremely proud to name Cameron Heyward as our 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year." Over 13 NFL seasons, Heyward has been a leading voice in the locker room and his 80.5 career sacks are the most by a Steelers defensive lineman since 1982 and the second-most by an active NFL defensive tackle.

(WJET/WFXP)– Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end and team captain Cameron Heyward has been named the 2024 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year for his charitable work. The NFL held their annual NFL Honors award show Thursday night where stars across the league were honored for their achievements on and off the field.

Payton's off-the-field exploits were just as impressive. He started his own foundation while playing for the Bears and anonymously donated thousands of dollars and toys to underprivileged children throughout Chicago.

Heyward, who was nominated for the award six times, joins an impressive list of Steelers players who have won the award in the past, including Franco Harris, Joe Greene, Lynn Swann and Jerome Bettis.

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In 2009, Armanti Edwards from Appalachian State became the first to receive the award twice, followed in 2017 by Jeremiah Briscoe from Sam Houston State. In 2019, Trey Lance of North Dakota State was the first freshman to receive the award. ^ Team is now a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

It was during his college years that he gained the sobriquet “Sweetness” for his affable personality and graceful athleticism. In addition to his role as starting running back, he was also an occasional kicker at Jackson State, and his four-year total of 464 points was a National Collegiate Athletic Association record.

His loss of motivation and drive to be the best is at the heart of his decision to retire. According to the doc, Sanders may have considered retirement as early as 1997.

Why did Barry Sanders retire Walter Payton? ›

While still performing at a high level, Sanders unexpectedly retired from professional football in 1999, at the age of 31, and 1,457 yards short of breaking the NFL's then all-time rushing record held by Walter Payton. Sanders cited the Lions' front office and declining team production as reasons for his retirement.

StatMuse has season-level data for passing touchdowns going back to the 1921 season.

Payton's 492 career pass receptions for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns contributed to his exceptional combined net yard totals. Extremely durable, Payton missed one game in his rookie campaign and then played in 186 consecutive games.

One oddity in the Bears' victory was that Payton had a relatively poor performance running the football and did not score a touchdown in Super Bowl XX, his only Super Bowl appearance during his Hall of Fame career.

Walter Payton was 5 ft 10 inches, 200 lb (1.78 m, 90 kg). How many Super Bowls did Walter Payton win? Walter Payton won one Super Bowl championship.

Cameron Heyward signed a 4 Years, $65,600,000 contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 6, 2020. The contract runs through the 2025 season and has an average annual value of $16,400,000. It also came with a $17,500,000 signing bonus and $20,250,000 guaranteed.

Heyward debuted in MLB as Atlanta's starting right fielder on Opening Day 2010. He was named to the National League (NL) All-Star team that season and finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year Award voting.

During his time in Pittsburgh, he won the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year award, and helped the Steelers make it to three Super Bowls. Over the past decade, though, gone have been the long playoff runs and Super Bowl championships.

Prior to last season, Heyward was playing at a level that saw him get selected to six straight Pro Bowls. He was also a three-time All-Pro over that span while establishing himself as one of the NFL's premier defensive players.