Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Jarrett Payton talks Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Bears at NFL Honors
06 Feb 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Jared Payton.
My name is Jared Payton, and I am here to motivate you today.
Former NFL running back. Jared Payton wearing his father's number, number 34, and looking like the old man. Look at this run. A gorgeous job by Jared Payton.
The son of sweetness. There's Walter with his Cubs jacket on. And here he comes up. His son, Jarrett, is with him. Sweetness. What an ovation.
Sports anchor for WGN.
You know me. I'm the resident running back.
Jarrett Payton with Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score.
Uncle Luke got me hooked on Hennessy, so thank you to Uncle Luke.
You know what that means? When you hear the 305, when you hear Uncle Luke, that means it's time to call Jared Payton. Jared Payton is the WGN-TV sports anchor. You can catch him on the sports office on the free WGN Plus streaming app on your smart TV weeknights live at 730. And he joins us via the Circus Sports Illinois hotline. Download the Circus Sports app today.
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Chapter 2: What is the significance of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award?
He's like, dude, you blew up that night. So, and then they're ushering us onto the stage. And when you get on the stage, you look out and it just looks like,
thousands of people like you just the room looks crazy every person that you talk about throughout the year at football is staring at you in the front row and you're like just don't mess up like just do not mess up this is one of those moments but once we we got done it just all makes it worthwhile to see all these guys on stage and the impact that they're making in their communities.
It's amazing. My dad, he's shining down on us right now here in San Francisco. The sun is just beaming right now. So super cool.
It was. It was an incredible moment. And I'm always left with, and Jerry, you know this having been a football player yourself, I always think about when I talk to athletes about their charitable efforts, a lot of them talk about the fact that, hey, we wear helmets. People don't get to see who we are.
Chapter 3: How did Jarrett Payton feel about the NFL Honors experience?
They don't get to see our faces. They don't get to see us have emotions in these moments. So when I consider that and just to see how proud everybody was to be on that stage, you know, with you when the nominees came up. What did that moment mean to you? And how important is it that people know who these guys actually are?
Yeah, it's weird because you're exactly right when it comes to these guys wearing helmets, right? You don't really get to see their faces like other sports where you instantly know who they are. And so, yeah, in the NFL, we know the superstars. But a lot of these guys who I've got a chance to be close with now, like even like this ā Weekend, this week has been crazy.
So CJ Hamm and I have, you know, he just retired from the Vikings and he's a nominee. And so I've been talking to him a lot. All NFC North. teams. I've just been like locking down with them throughout this process. Even this morning, sitting there talking with Jordan Love this morning before we walked out and we're just joking about playing each other three times.
He just told me, he's like, I don't want to play you guys again in the playoffs. We just, two times a year is good. I don't want to do it in the playoffs. And I just started laughing because we were having these conversations with you guys. You get a And, you know, he was in the locker room in the home game with the walk-offs. And so he was watching it. He told me on a small TV.
And just interacting with these dudes and having the conversations and getting to know them, you see that it's bigger than football. Their missions are way bigger than football. Football is just kind of like the avenue in what you do and what you love. But the giving back and service is that rent that we pay while we're here on this earth. And so... That's what you see out of all these guys.
No doubt about it, man. And you know what, Jared?
Hey, Grody. Yeah, buddy. Grody, Layla, guess what? Real quick. Just to let everybody know, because I'm not at home, but in a couple hours here, I am leaving from the Boys and Girls Club straight from here, and I'm going to do a sit-down with George McCaskey. So I'm going to be with George in a little bit, and it should be hopefully coming up tonight at some point on WGN.
But, yeah, we're going to talk about the ā Talk about the season, everything that happened this season. I know people are going to want to know about the stadium and all that stuff. It's a later date, everyone. Just relax. But we're going to talk about his joy for the city and what this meant for this year. And it's crazy that I'm doing this today.
Because today is a year that Virginia McCaskey died. Oh, wow. So I'm getting a chance to sit down with him today and discuss just the state of the Bears and his feelings. So I'm really looking forward to that.
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Chapter 4: What impact does the Walter Payton award have on the community?
Yeah, so I'm looking forward to that and honored that I get that opportunity, knowing just how significant this day is and what it means to him and the whole entire family. And, yeah, man, it's been a whirlwind out here just seeing these guys, talking to these guys, and just was with DJ. I'm about to go find DJ in a second.
He's upstairs with some of the kids in some of the different areas that they have at the Boys and Girls Club. It's our day of service with the kids in the community.
Sounds like, yeah, DJ was the Bears candidate for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, so that's awesome. How cool was it to actually see? You had company last night, man, for once at these awards with Bears, with DJ Moore winning the moment of the year, Joe Tooney, the NFL Protector of the Year. Talk about symbolic of this Bears turnaround, man.
I mean, it really was because I've been coming to this thing for so long, right, since 99 and ever since they started NFL Honors. It's never really been, you know, about the Bears.
And last night, man, we were ā it was a different feeling, you guys, about where this organization is headed, where the vibe is, and what the general public and the media think about this Bears team, Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams and company. And, yeah, it just ā it was a Bears vibe last night. I first got a chance to meet Joe Tooney, too, the other night.
I told Malia Hollis, she was having dinner with my mom and some of their friends. I walked up on a dinner, and I'm sitting there. I'm like, that's Joe Tooney. I'm like, why are you eating a pasta dish?
across from my mom like what is going on here so they were all talking chicago connection here in san francisco super super cool and just the bears vibe here on radio row and you can't everybody wants to talk about it everybody's saying that the bears are going to be here at some point
and it could be sooner rather than later, and that they're on the right track, and it's just a good feeling knowing that you have your head coach intact who's calling the plays, and then you also have your quarterback who is just scratching the surface about how good he actually can be. It's a good time to be a Bears fan.
We are talking to Jared Payton, who just told us he's sitting down with George McCaskey. That will air tonight on WGN. We look forward to it. And in the meantime, yeah, just having the Bears be of significance. You know, we hear a lot about phrases like the NBA is better when the Bulls are winning. But I was not prepared for the embrace that the NFL would give.
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Chapter 5: How do NFL players express their emotions during awards ceremonies?
But to have that significance of how ready the league was to embrace the Bears in this, what do you think of that as well?
I love it. I mean, this is what... We've been in this business since I've been at GN for 10 years now. It's like... This is what you want. You want your team to be relevant. You want to be talking about success. You want to be talking about that they're heading in the right direction. And it just feels good.
I've been here too many times where there's so many question marks about the quarterback position. What are you going to do at head coach? And it just feels refreshing that that's not the conversation that we're having here at the Super Bowl. I mean, everybody's walking up to me and like, yo, you know, you guys... You guys could have been here. What happened to the Bears? Oh, this and that.
You guys are on the right track. And I'm sitting here going, yeah, we got this thing. So there are pieces. We know it's not set in stone. You're going to have to add to this roster. You're going to have to add some more pieces, especially on the defensive side. Some tough decisions that are going to have to be made as well because that happens in every offseason.
Right now, it seems like you have things in place where the system is so strong and the belief is so strong. And what Ben is creating in that culture, which just seems infectious to everybody that walks through those doors at how it's called, that now guys are going to want to come to Chicago. It's going to be a destination. And that's what makes me feel good.
People are going to want to come and play with Caleb. They're going to want to play for Ben Johnson. And so it's going to open up more opportunities. in one of the greatest cities, if not the greatest city in all of America. So you know how I feel.
Yeah, and when coaches leave, coaches are going to want to come here, you know, which I'm sure.
Yeah, that happens. Yeah, man. I mean, the whole Declan Doyle thing is like totally understand. Great opportunity, super great opportunity. But it all still makes me feel good that he's not the guy calling plays. The guys calling plays is the dude that's sitting there clicking his pen, hat on, Bears sweatshirt on. Good, better vest. And not even smiling at all. That's my dude. He's still here.
And as long as he's here, we are good. Who's winning the Super Bowl? I got the Seahawks winning. And I've said it. I've said it. I think that the spread is four and a half. I think... I think it's a low-scoring game. I think they win 24-20. I think it's going to be one of those games. It's just something about the balance of the Seahawks, I believe.
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