Cooke 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.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars announced Thursday that punter Logan Cooke has been named the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
The award is the NFL’s most prestigious honor, recognizing players who have exhibited excellence on the field and whose passion to impact lives extends beyond the game, the Jaguars said in a release.
Each nominee from the 32 teams will receive a $40,000 donation to the charity of their choice, the Jags said.
According to the Jaguars, Cooke, the team’s longest-tenured player, has consistently served those in need during his eight-year career, not only in Northeast Florida or his home state of Mississippi, but worldwide. In 2021, Cooke and his wife, Mary, founded the Logan Cooke Foundation to make a bigger impact.
“Cooke has recently focused on combatting the global water crisis through clean water projects in East Africa,” the Jaguars said in the release. “This season, Cooke is punting for clean water through his foundation in partnership with Zoe Ministries, a nonprofit which has provided clean and safe water access to over 200,000 people since 2017. For every punt pinned inside the 20-yard line, he donates $1,000 through to help bring safe, life-changing water to families in Kenya. With millions in East Africa still lacking access to clean water, the campaign’s goal was to raise $20,000 for clean water projects. With five games left to play in the regular season, Cooke has already raised over $25,000 from his on-field based donations and community support.”
In September, Cooke joined the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation and Peoples Gas for a pizza cookoff, the Jaguars said, where he and teammates hosted pediatric cancer patients at the Miller Electric Center for a morning full of cooking and fun before enjoying the pizzas they made together. He also joined the Jay Fund in visiting patients and families at Wolfson Children’s Hospital where they enjoyed activities like playing catch and making arts and crafts.
“I am incredibly honored to be nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year,” Cooke said in the Jags’ release. “Walter Payton and I are from the same hometown, so this is very special to me. Being a Jacksonville Jaguar means so much more than just performing on the field. To be considered for such a prestigious award would not be possible without the unwavering support from my wife, Mary Menger, my family, my teammates and the Jaguars organization. Our goal is to leave an impact on Jacksonville that will last for years to come.”
Cooke, a two-time All-Pro and 2025 Pro Bowler, 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, beginning Sunday, Dec. 7 when the Jaguars host the Indianapolis Colts.
The 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winner will be announced during the NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to airing on NFL Network Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026.
Each club winner will receive up to a $40,000 donation, and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award winner will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice. All donations are made possible by the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.