This morning, the Kansas City Chiefs announced that QB Patrick Mahomes was named the team's nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide.
One of the NFL's highest individual honors, it recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. Mahomes is joined by 31 other candidates – one from each NFL team – who were also announced today.
"The Chiefs organization and the Kansas City community could not ask for a better leader on the field and representative off of it, which is why we are honored to once again announce Patrick Mahomes as the club's nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award," Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. "Patrick, along with his family and his foundation, truly exemplifies the characteristics that this award represents. Since his career began in 2017, he has demonstrated an ever-increasing commitment to bettering the communities around him. Patrick uses his platform to help those in need, and we feel that he is more than deserving of this high honor. We believe Patrick and his family will continue to impact and empower communities across the country for years to come."
"It's such an honor to be nominated again by the Chiefs as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year," Mahomes said. "As a dad of two, it means the world to me to be able to provide opportunities and support to underserved youth, and my family and I are so humbled to be in the running for an award that means so much to the Chiefs organization and to our community. It's crazy to see the way 15 and the Mahomies has grown and continues to make more and more of a difference for kids here in Kansas City, across Texas and beyond. We know there is still so much work to be done, and we're so grateful and humbled by the support that Chiefs Kingdom gives us and the foundation. It's truly an honor to represent my foundation, Chiefs Kingdom, my family as well as the Payton family and Hunt family."
For the fourth year in a row, all 32 team winners will be highlighted as finalists and recognized for their important work during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl LVIII. The 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air nationally the Thursday before Super Bowl LVIII on CBS.
All 32 nominees will receive a donation of up to $55,000 in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide. Along with the other 31 nominees, Mahomes 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.
Since entering the league as the Chiefs 10th overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, Mahomes has made a significant impact both on and off the field. In 2019, he established his foundation, 15 and the Mahomies Foundation, which has placed an emphasis on improving the lives of children with a continued focus on supporting health, wellness, and various communities in need of resources. To date, over $4 million in grants and programs have been distributed by the foundation, and the impact felt by the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation has been acknowledged locally as the Kansas City Business Journal ranked it among Kansas City's Biggest Charitable Trusts and Foundations by grant volume.
Patrick and 15 and the Mahomies Foundation have cultivated many impactful moments, kicking off the 2023-24 NFL season with an announcement of a national partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Touchdowns mean even more for Mahomes this year as he has pledged to donate $1,500 for every touchdown in the regular season to Boys and Girls Clubs of America in addition to his $1.625 million donation. His commitment will support facility improvements to Boys and Girls Clubs of America facilities in communities personal to Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, including Greater Kansas City and Lubbock, Tyler, and Whitehouse, Texas.
Prior to the start of the 2023-24 NFL season, Mahomes partnered with Make-A-Wish to grant wishes of 10 children who have life-threatening illnesses. Patrick took time to meet with each child, gave them gifts, played football, and created an unforgettable experience with each of them. 15 and the Mahomies has also focused on combating illiteracy issues for youth through the "Read for 15" program. This program was created to encourage children to adopt a good habit of reading. The program challenges students to read for at least 15 minutes a day for 15 weeks. With over 19,500 students pledging to participate in the program, 15 and the Mahomies has seen a 12 percent increase in reading scores of participating schools. Earlier this year, Mahomes hosted a Read for 15 Rally where nearly 2,400 elementary students from 16 schools heard from Mahomes himself on the importance of reading outside of school.
To continue Mahomes' goal of encouraging volunteerism amongst youth, 15 and the Mahomies has developed the "Volunteer for 15" program. Between May 1 and August 31 of this year, youth participating in the "Volunteer for 15" program completed nearly 23,000 volunteer hours in the local community. The program far exceeded its goal of 15,000 hours this year with an 86 percent increase in involvement.
The Foundation has also continued to activate its "15 for 15" programing. To date, the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation has awarded nearly 175 charitable grants which provide critical support of some of the most impactful programs in the country. This support has included backpack giveaways, free vision screenings and the donation of glasses for kids, football equipment and coaching clinics for youth football leagues, supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities through the HBCU Legacy Bowl and the Black College Football Hall of Fame, providing scholarships for children of wounded and fallen United States Navy SEALs, the building of the all-inclusive 15 and the Mahomies Playground at MLK park, the building of the first all-inclusive soccer field, and so much more.
As a father of two young children himself, another area of focus for 15 and the Mahomies Foundation has been supporting a healthier lifestyle for area youth. In 2022, 15 and the Mahomies distributed over 15,000 meals through partnerships with food banks and partnered with OneSight Vision Clinic to provide free eye exams and glasses to more than 100 children in the Kansas City area. At the start of the 2021 season and the 58th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, Mahomes and his foundation re-dedicated Kansas City's Martin Luther King Jr. Park thanks to a $1 million donation by 15 and the Mahomies Foundation. With this donation, a playground was brought to life with the intention of celebrating Dr. King and creating an inclusive and accessible area for children of all abilities. Prior to the 2020 general election, Mahomes was a vocal leader partnering with RISE to Vote, encouraging the players and coaches to register and actively participate in the general election. Leading into Election Day itself, he teamed with the Hunt Family Foundation via an Inspire Change grant to turn GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium into the largest polling center in the history of the Kansas City Election Board, serving more than 2,100 voters.
This season, Mahomes continues his on-field success at a record-setting pace, leading the club to an 8-4 record, sitting atop the AFC West. He's completed 301 of his 444 pass attempts for 3,127 yards with 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Through 12 games, he is top five across the league in completions (301, 2nd) and touchdowns (22, T-5th), and top 10 in completion percentage (67.8%, 8th) and passing yards (3,127, 8th). The seventh-year QB has led his team to five-consecutive home AFC Championship Games, three Super Bowl appearances with two victories, earned two NFL MVPs (2018, 2022) and two Super Bowl MVPs (2019, 2022). Mahomes became the first player in the 21st century to win both the league MVP and a Super Bowl MVP in the same year (2022). For his career, Mahomes owns a 72-20 (.783) record in his 92 starts, completing 2,286 of his 3,437 attempts for 27,368 yards, 214 touchdowns and just 59 interceptions, giving him a 104.3 passer rating. With 66 multi-touchdown pass games, Mahomes has the most-such games in a player's first seven seasons. Since 2018 when he officially took over the starting QB role, he leads the league in yards (27,084), touchdowns (214), 25+ yard completions (230), first down throws (1,341) and redzone TDs (148). With only 58 interceptions since 2018, he owns a +156 TD/INT ratio, the highest mark of any QB in that span. Mahomes has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times (2018-22) and following his 2018 and 2022 seasons, Mahomes was named AP First-Team All-Pro.
Each Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee is eligible for the WPMOY Challenge, a contest on X (formerly Twitter), which gives fans the opportunity to show support for their favorite nominee and offers players a chance to secure an additional donation for their charity. Fans vote by using the hashtag #WPMOYChallenge and the player's name or X handle between Dec. 5 and Jan. 8. New this year, fans can also cast votes by visiting NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. The player who receives the most hashtag mentions and online votes wins an additional $35,000 for their charity. The runner-up receives $10,000 and third-place will receive $5,000 for their charity, all courtesy of Nationwide. You can vote, find hashtag information and official rules at NFL.com/ManOfTheYear.
