Getty
The Kansas City Chiefs delivered major news this week, announcing that tight end Travis Kelce has been selected as the team’s 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee — the league’s highest honor for community service and on-field excellence. Kelce, now in his 13th NFL season, earns the recognition for his continued work across Kansas City through his Eighty-Seven & Running Foundation and partnerships with Operation Breakthrough and the Ignition Lab.
Kelce joins 31 other club nominees across the NFL. The national winner will be announced during NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb. 5.
The announcement drew praise from around the league — and from someone especially close to Kelce: his brother, Jason Kelce.
Chiefs Praise Travis Kelce for His Community Leadership
Congrats Taviola, the way you have impacted the game, your community, and your team is second to none. So incredibly deserving of this award, couldn’t be prouder! https://t.co/6qP64vsz0X
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) December 5, 2025
In a statement released by the Chiefs, Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt celebrated Kelce’s impact on Kansas City.
“Travis Kelce has been an influential part of the Kansas City community since his arrival 13 years ago,” Hunt said in a statement on the Chiefs’ official website. “He is a leader in every sense of the word… His Eighty-Seven & Running Foundation and his work with Operation Breakthrough and the Ignition Lab have helped to shape a brighter future for the next generation.”
Kelce, who has been nominated multiple times, said the recognition means “everything.”
“To be chosen as the team’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year is such a great honor,” Kelce said. “I have so much love for Kansas City and the Chiefs organization… Being able to give back to Kansas City and to my hometown… has been a dream come true, and I’ll never take that for granted.”
Jason reacted on X, “Congrats Taviola, the way you have impacted the game, your community, and your team is second to none… couldn’t be prouder!”
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year program includes significant charitable donations: each club nominee’s charity receives $40,000, while the national winner’s selected nonprofit receives $250,000 courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide Foundation.
Fans can also participate through the #WPMOYChallenge, which awards additional donations to the players who receive the most hashtag votes between Dec. 4 and Jan. 5.
Inside Travis Kelce’s Work With Operation Breakthrough and Ignition Lab
Kelce founded Eighty-Seven & Running in 2015 and has since expanded its impact. Operation Breakthrough, an after-school program for underserved Kansas City youth, has collaborated with Kelce on multiple projects, including student-customized cleats worn during the Chiefs’ My Cause My Cleats game in Week 12.
The most transformative effort began in 2021 with Ignition Lab, a former muffler shop Kelce helped convert into a hands-on innovation center for high school students. The program has now served over 1,000 teenagers, offering workforce development in culinary arts, automotive tech, design, media, welding, and more — with paid wages and required financial literacy courses.
Students have earned 96 industry certifications during the 2024–25 school year and have launched businesses, including a food truck, hydroponic farm, and tech repair shop.
The Future Hall of Famer Recently Addressed His Future in Kansas City
With Kelce in the final year of his contract, retirement questions persist. In late November, he said he expects to make a decision by early March — before free agency begins.
“I want to give the Chiefs a good opportunity, whether I come back or not — or whether they want me back or not,” Kelce told reporters. “I’d like to make that decision before they’ve got to get draft picks and free agency opens.”
Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion, continues to rewrite NFL history. Entering Week 14, he has 59 catches for 719 yards and five touchdowns and holds the longest active streak of consecutive games with a reception (186). He also recently surpassed Priest Holmes for most regular-season touchdowns in franchise history.
Kickoff for Chiefs vs. Texans is Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
More Heavy on Chiefs
Loading more stories