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Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke has been named the team’s nominee for the NFL’s 2025 Walter Payton Man of The Year Award.
This award is given to recognize a player’s “excellence on and off the field” and is considered by some to be the most prestigious honor in the league. Cooke was accused of threatening to “kill” an opposing player last week.
The allegations came after Jacksonville’s 25-3 win over the Tennessee Titans last Sunday.
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Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little (39) celebrates a field goal against the Tennessee Titans with Logan Cooke, left, during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Titans running back Julius Chestnut alleged Cooke threatened him in the fourth quarter. On a punt in that quarter, Cooke tripped punt returner Chimere Dike at the end of a 47-yard return with 14:06 remaining. Cooke was injured and evaluated for a concussion before returning for a punt later in the quarter.
Players from both teams found themselves in another brawl at the end of another Dike putback with 11:49 to play. This led to Chestnut and Cooke having an incident. Cooke was among those who received a penalty for unnecessary roughness. Titan Safety Mike Brown was ejected.
“I was just trying to play hard, and he came up to me and told me he was going to kill me,” Chestnut said after the game. “So I don’t know what made him do that.”
Chestnut said he never had an explanation for why Cooke was angry with him.
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Tennessee Titans safety Mike Brown (44) collides with Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke (9) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. No penalties were imposed on the November 30, 2025 game. (Steve Roberts/Imagn Images)
“It surprised me. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Chestnut said.
Cooke was not asked specifically about his passionate moment with Chestnut. He said that after the match he liked to hit people and that Chestnut got the better of him during the “hectic” match.
Cooke admitted making “rude” comments to the referee after the match.
“I might have said some things that seemed rude, so I wanted to clear things up,” Cooke said of his conversation with the referee. “I don’t like people to hold grudges against me. So I tell him the situation and also get his perspective on what happened on that play in the end zone.”
Cooke, a Pro Bowler last season, has been with the Jaguars for eight years. Jacksonville selected him in the seventh round of the 2018 draft.
Social media users had mixed reactions to Cooke’s appointment in the days following the allegation.
“W.P.[M]OY candidate threatens to eliminate his opponents,” one user wrote.
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Another user wrote: “Well deserved, he killed it on and off the field.”
Meanwhile, the Houston Texans nominated linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for this prestigious award. Al-Shaair drew criticism last season when he delivered a hit to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Travis Kelce, Derrick Henry, Baker Mayfield and Jordan Love are among 32 other players nominated for the award this year.
