Minnesota’s Own C.J. Ham Nominated For 2025 Walter Payton Man Of The Year

Exciting news for Minnesota native C.J. Ham, selected as the nominee for his home state team for the 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award!

The Minnesota Vikings announced that the team has named Ham their nominee for the prestigious NFL award for the second year in a row.

The award is presented each year as part of the NFL Honors during Super Bowl Week, recognizing an NFL player for his excellence both on and off the field.

The award was established back in 1970 and was renamed for the legendary Walter Payton in 1999. The award celebrates the recipient's significant positive impacts on his community.

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Ham is a beloved player among Vikings fans, not only in his hometown of Duluth, but across Minnesota. From his youth football camps to involvement with Boys & Girls Clubs and other charity efforts, and just being recognized by teammates and fans as a standup guy, C.J. was recognized by his teammates as the top choice for this award, leading to the team nominating him now for two straight years.

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell commented about Ham's second straight nomination for the award, saying:

"For C.J. to be nominated two years in a row by his teammates says a lot about the impact he has in our locker room. Every time we introduce our starting fullback at U.S. Bank Stadium, you can feel how much our fans love and appreciate him. My hope is that people fully understand the type of human being and leader he is — someone who is committed to serving others and brings his teammates along with him. C.J. Ham is truly one of one."

Ham joins the 31 other nominees selected by teams across the league. The 2025 award will be given at the NFL Honors on Thursday, February 5. Each nominee (including Ham) gets up to $40,000 for the charity of their choice, with the winner of the award receiving up to $250,000 for the charity of their choice.