National Football League

49ers, Eagles surprise Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees with emotional tributes

Published Dec. 7, 2023 11:05 p.m. ET

The San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles may not be particularly fond of each other, but both NFC heavyweights have at least one thing in common — they both know how to make valued members of their respective teams feel special.

Both the 49ers and Eagles had touching tributes for their respective Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees, surprising Philadelphia offensive tackle Lane Johnson and San Francisco defensive tackle Arik Armstead.

Both players were surprised during team meetings in the days after the 49ers beat the Eagles 42-19 in a rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game.

For Johnson, longtime teammate Jason Kelce — a past WPMOY nominee himself — stood up and gave an emotional speech praising Johnson and expressing how glad he is that his fellow offensive lineman is getting this recognition.

In Armstead's case, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks commemorated his fourth consecutive nomination for the award by playing a video of Armstead's fellow defensive linemen expressing how much he means to them and how thankful they are for him.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year award is handed out every year just before the Super Bowl at the NFL Honors. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott won the award last season.

Check out both the 49ers' and Eagles' tributes here:

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