49ers' Christian McCaffrey Headlines 2025-26 NFL Salute to Service Award Finalists

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson are the three finalists for this year's annual Salute to Service Award presented by USAA.

The NFL and USAA, which is the league's official salute to service partner, announced as much Thursday and noted they are being recognized for their support for the military community.

The winner will be announced next month and recognized at NFL Honors on Feb. 5. USAA will donate $25,000 in the winner's name to aid societies supporting the military, while the NFL will donate $25,000 to a military non-profit charity of the winner's choice.

McCaffrey was named a finalist because of his work through the Christian McCaffrey Foundation, which provides mental and physical health resources for veterans. The 23 and Troops initiative from the foundation utilizes athlete-level care and treatment to focus on healing from post-traumatic stress.

His foundation has also invested approximately $700,000 in military support and paid holiday layaway balances for hundreds of military families.

As for Jones, he founded the A&A All the Way Foundation with his brother as a way to honor and support military members. His father served in the United States army for 29 years, while his mother served 27 years. His brother, Xavier, is in the United States Air Force.

Part of Jones' efforts include hosting galas to generate money for military families. He also spent time on a recent NFL-USO tour and visited service members in different military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates.

It is not just running backs being recognized, though, as Ferguson is a finalist after partnering with USAA to visit military bases as well. He is also an active supporter of the National Medal of Honor Museum (NMOHM) and helped host a national Character Playbook LIVE event at AT&T Stadium to discuss the importance of commitment with thousands of students.

The winner will be determined by a panel of judges that includes last season's Salute to Service Award recipient George Kittle. 

It also includes USAA senior vice president and army veteran Major General (Ret.) Bob Whittle, Air Force Academy graduate and three-time Super Bowl champion Chad Hennings, Marine Corps veteran and former NFL head coach Jim Mora Sr., and NFL chief financial officer and Army veteran Christina Dorfler.