Matthew Stafford, George Kittle Headline 2024 NFL Salute to Service Award Nominees

The NFL and USAA have announced the 32 team nominees for the annual Salute to Service Award, headlined by Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle.

Each team has one nominee for the award, which honors the player, coach, alumni or staff member who makes exceptional efforts to honor and support military and veteran communities.

Here are 32 nominees for the Salute to Service Award:

• Arizona Cardinals: DeeJay Dallas, RB
• Atlanta Falcons: Chris Millman, Staff
• Baltimore Ravens: Steve Clagett Jr., Staff
• Buffalo Bills: Matthew Smiley, Special Teams Coach
• Carolina Panthers: Austin Corbett, C
• Chicago Bears: Travis Homer, RB
• Cincinnati Bengals: Bryan Wilburn, Staff
• Cleveland Browns: Shaun Huls, Staff
• Dallas Cowboys: Zack Martin, G
• Denver Broncos: Keith Bishop, Staff
• Detroit Lions: Carl Jones II, Staff
• Green Bay Packers: Lukas Van Ness, DE
• Houston Texans: Marc Lewis, Staff
• Indianapolis Colts: Trey Mock, Staff
• Jacksonville Jaguars: Travon Walker, DE
• Kansas City Chiefs: Mitch Holthus, Staff
• Las Vegas Raiders: Robert Spillane, LB
• Los Angeles Chargers: Morgan Fox, DL
• Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford, QB
• Miami Dolphins: Blake Ferguson, LS
• Minnesota Vikings: Aaron Jones, RB
• New England Patriots: David Andrews, C
• New Orleans Saints: Nate Degen, Staff
• New York Giants: Wellington Mara, Owner (Posthumous nominee)
• New York Jets: Tony Richardson, Alumni
• Philadelphia Eagles: Lane Johnson, RT
• Pittsburgh Steelers: Rocky Bleier, Alumni
• San Francisco 49ers: George Kittle, TE
• Seattle Seahawks: Mike Macdonald, Head Coach
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brian Ford, Staff
• Tennessee Titans: Alyssa Gallegos, Staff
• Washington Commanders: Jeremy Reaves, Safety

The Salute to Service Award was created in 2011, with the winner receiving a $25,000 donation that goes to their military or veteran charity of choice. USAA also contributes $25,000 in the winner's name to official aid societies representing all United States Military Branches.

Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona, who played college football at Navy from 2011 to '14, won the award last year. He remains an active member of the military as the department head of Maritime Security Squadron 8 in Rhode Island.

Other past winners include Charles Tillman (2012), John Harbaugh (2013), Jared Allen (2014) and Ron Rivera (2022).

Kittle and Aaron Jones, who is also among the 2024 nominees, were the two finalists along with Cardona last year.

The most unique nominee from this year's field is former New York Giants owner Wellington Mara, who died in 2005. The Giants noted he "spent his life honoring, empowering and connecting with service members, veterans and their families."

Mara served in the military as a member of the United States Navy during World War II. He was a lieutenant on the USS Santee and USS Randolph during his 40 months at sea.

The 32 nominees will be whittled down to three finalists determined by a fan vote. The winner from that group of finalists will be determined from a five-person panel that includes Cardona, former NFL head coach Jim Mora Sr., three-time Super Bowl champion Chad Hennings, NFL vice president of security Lenny Bandy and USAA senior vice president and head of military affairs John Richardson.

The winner will be awarded at the NFL Honors ceremony in New Orleans during Super Bowl week.