New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona, the winner of the 2023 Salute to Service award, at Super Bowl Radio Row with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds on Feb. 7, 2024. (USAA, Courtesy)
There are three finalists in contention for the NFL’s 2024 Salute to Service award, which recognizes members of the NFL community for their contributions to the U.S. military community. But the finalists’ contributions go back more than just the last year. This is not the first year to see their efforts recognized by the NFL.
Each of this year’s three finalists were nominated for the award at least twice in a row, and two of them were finalists last year. Minnesota Vikings running back, Aaron Jones, is a back-to-back finalist — though he was with the Green Bay Packers for the 2023 award. Los Angeles Chargers defensive end, Morgan Fox, is a finalist for the first time but has been nominated three times in a row. George Kittle, tight end for the San Francisco 49ers, is a four-time nominee and three-time finalist.
That this year’s finalists have a long record of contribution was flagged as an underappreciated aspect of the program by Jennifer Escobar, head of brand marketing at USAA, and Christian Bove, the company’s communications director, in an interview with Stars and Stripes.
USAA is the NFL’s official military appreciation sponsor and presenter of the Salute to Service award.
The Salute to Service initiative raises funds for partner organizations that work on issues related to veterans and military families. It was launched in 2011 and has raised $73 million for partner organizations since then. The annual award is just one component of the year-round program.
Thirty-two nominees were named in November of last year and the three finalists were revealed in mid-January, after a round of fan voting and a panel decision. The winner will be announced on Feb. 6.
Jones co-founded a nonprofit supporting young people in military families and also personally connects with service members and their families via letters and meet-and-greets, according to an NFL media release for this year’s award. Jones hails from a military family — both of his late parents served in the U.S. Army — and has cited his childhood experiences, including the difficulties of deployment, as part of the reason for his advocacy.
An NFL release from January 2024, when Jones was with the Green Bay Packers, also cited his support of Patriot K9s of Wisconsin, which connects veterans with service dogs.
For Fox, the NFL releases from 2023 and 2022 mention his participation at events for service members and veterans, and fundraising for The Headstrong Project, the Wounded Warrior Project, War Heroes on Water and more.
Kittle has donated hundreds of game tickets to service members and other frontline heroes and donated hundreds of thousands to military nonprofits.
It is not only this year’s finalists who have a record of contribution. Miami Dolphins longsnapper Blake Ferguson has been nominated for the third year in a row and is credited with hosting military appreciation barbecues and distributing hundreds of Thanksgiving meals.
The back-to-back nominee status also goes to retired NFL player Tony Richardson, who was nominated by the New York Jets for the 2024 and 2023 awards. The NFL says the famous fullback spends lots of time meeting military personnel and promoting public awareness of U.S. military missions and programs.
The Salute to Service winner will see the USAA award $25,000 in their name to official aid societies representing each branch of the military, matched with another $25,000 from the NFL Foundation that goes to a military charity of the recipient’s choice.
