Steelers Cameron Heyward Up for Man of the Year at NFL Honors Tonight

The 12th annual NFL Honors will air on television at 9 p.m. Thursday night on WPXI, Peacock, and NFL Network. Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is one of 32 players up for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, which recognizes a player for his excellence on and off the field.

Grammy award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson will host the two-hour awards presentation, which will appreciate the league’s best players, performances, and plays from this past campaign. This is the second time the show is taking place on a Thursday. For a decade before that, the best football has to offer was recognized the night before the Super Bowl.

The NFL will hand out a total of 18 awards, including the Associated Press Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year. The Rookie of the Year award on both sides of the ball is another to be announced, but Steelers newcomers Kenny Pickett and George Pickens both missed out on being finalists.

The winner of the award will receive a $250,000 donation to a charity of their choice. That sum is courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide. Past awardees include Andrew Whitworth (2021), Russell Wilson (2020), Calais Campbell (2019), Chris Long (2018), and J.J. Watt (2017).

Cameron Heyward looks to become the fifth Steeler to win it. Franchise icons Jerome Bettis (2001), Lynn Swann (1981), Joe Greene (1979), and Franco Harris (1976) have previously taken it home.