Historical NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds from Past Seasons

• Look back at the odds to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award from past seasons
• Myles Garrett took home the most recent award, marking his second time being named NFL DPOY
• Looking for the latest NFL DPOY odds for the current season?

---

I have been tracking and documenting NFL Defensive Player of the Year futures since the 2019 season. I have archived each past season below with the most recent at the top. You can see which players opened as the favorites each year, which defender ultimately went on to win the award each season, and how their odds (and all other top contenders’ odds) changed throughout each season.

2025 Season | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019

2025 NFL DPOY Odds

The 2025-26 NFL season was an historic one for Myles Garrett, who not only won the Defensive Player of the Year award, but also broke the single-season sack record. Garrett was unanimously named the NFL DPOY at the NFL Honors after his incredible season.

However, there was a lengthy stretch of the season where Garrett was not seen as the favorite to win the award, according to the odds. Micah Parsons being traded to the Packers caused a lot of buzz in the betting world, and the Browns’ struggles held Garrett back for a little bit. You can see the opening and closing odds to win the 2025-26 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in the graph below, as well as how the odds changed after major points of the offseason and each game of the regular season.

The top 2025-26 NFL DPOY contenders the last time odds were available were as follows:

1. Myles Garrett (-50000 consensus odds)
2. Danielle Hunter (+15000)
3. Brian Burns (+15000)
4. Will Anderson Jr (+18750)
5. Nik Bonitto (+20000)

Sportsbooks were saying this award was wrapped up very early, and they were correct.

The Browns pass-rusher recorded an insane 19 sacks over his last 11 games, and his 23 sacks on the season were a league-high – 6.5 more than anyone else in the 2025-26 season. Garrett recorded at least a half-sack in 10 of his last 11 games, and had more in that timeframe than anyone else did over the entire season.

Though the Browns did not win many football games, their defense gave up the fourth-fewest total yards in the NFL, and Garrett enjoyed an unprecedented season. Michael Strahan & TJ Watt’s shared record for 22.5 sacks in a single season is no more, as Garrett broke that record in the final week of the season.

Danielle Hunter had the second-best odds to win the NFL DPOY award, but was an extremely distant +15000. Again, Garrett had this award wrapped up.

Here are some notes on the 2025-26 NFL DPOY odds movement:

• [November 11] another strong performance in Week 10 led to Myles Garrett taking over as the DPOY favorite.
• [October 21] Micah Parsons became the DPOY favorite again after posting three sacks in Week 7.
• [October 15] Nik Bonitto took over as the new DPOY favorite after recording another sack in Week 6, and being a massive part of Denver’s dominance on the defensive side.
• [September 30] Aidan Hutchinson used a two-sack performance in Week 4 to take back over as the favorite to win NFL DPOY.
• [September 16] Parsons was dominant again in Week 2 and took back over as the favorite to win DPOY.
• [September 9] With Micah Parsons limited in Week 1, and Myles Garrett recording two sacks against the Bengals, Garrett became the favorite to win DPOY again.
• [August 29] After being traded to the Packers, Parsons’ odds improved from +700 to +650.
• [May 20] Micah Parsons overtook Myles Garrett as the favorite to win NFL DPOY shortly after the NFL Draft. The Cowboys were seen as having a good draft, likely helping Parsons’ case for DPOY.
• [March 12] After Myles Garrett signed his record-breaking contract extension with the Browns, he became the new favorite to win NFL DPOY.
• [March 7] The Raiders acquisition of Geno Smith via trade with the Seahawks resulted in Maxx Crosby’s NFL DPOY odds improving from +1600 to +1100 at ESPN Bet. If this seems weird to you, think about the past DPOY winners – they don’t typically come from bad teams. Smith under center likely makes the Raiders more competitive on offense, meaning their defense may not be put in as many bad situations as they have been over the past couple of seasons.
• [February 15] Some early money coming in on NFL DPOY has resulted in Aidan Hutchinson becoming the lone favorite with +700 odds. TJ Watt’s odds did not change, but Myles Garrett’s odds faded slightly from +750 to +800 amid his request to be traded from the Browns.
• [February 7] All of Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, and Aidan Hutchinson opened as the co-favorites to win 2025-26 NFL DPOY. Each player was given +750 odds at opening.

Top Contenders by Position

Odds for Past Winners

---

2024 NFL DPOY Odds

In spite of TJ Watt being the 2024 NFL DPOY favorite for most of the 2024-25 NFL season, it was Patrick Surtain II who took home the Defensive Player of the Year award at the NFL Honors. I tracked the 2024 NFL DPOY odds from the time they opened until they closed. You can see how the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year odds changed throughout the season below.

While Patrick Surtain II won 2024-25 NFL DPOY, he was a major longshot to start the season. When odds opened for the 2024-25 season, Surtain was given +15500 odds, meaning a $1 bet would have won $155. Those weren’t even the longest odds Surtain was given, though. After Week 3, the Broncos corner had +22750 odds. After Week 4, Surtain was never given longer than +3000 odds, and he started making his move into the top contenders in mid-December. He only spent one week as the favorite before odds closed.

Five players opened in a tier of their own when it came to the 2024-25 NFL DPOY odds: Myles Garrett, arguably the best athlete in the league and the previous year’s NFL DPOY; Micah Parsons, the NFL DROY three years prior and favorite for NFL DPOY most of the prior season; Nick Bosa, who was the NFL DPOY two years prior; TJ Watt, the NFL DPOY three seasons prior; and Maxx Crosby, who led the NFL in tackles for losses each of the two prior seasons.

Aidan Hutchinson got off to a great start and took over as the DPOY favorite after Week 4. However, his season ended in Week 6 with a gruesome leg injury. TJ Watt took back over and reigned atop the odds until after Week 18, when Patrick Surtain II became the new favorite.

Here are some notes on the NFL DPOY odds movement:

• [February 6] Patrick Surtain II won the NFL DPOY award for the 2024-25 NFL season at the NFL Honors show
• [January 6] After the Broncos clinched a playoff spot in Week 18, Patrick Surtain II took over as the favorite for the first time this season. His odds improved from +150 to -450.
• [December 31] Though Denver lost to the Bengals and gave up 30 points, Patrick Surtain II held Ja’Marr Chase to three catches for 27 yards on six targets, while lining up across from him on 43 coverage snaps, per NFL Next Gen Stats. The result was Surtain moving from +386 odds to win DPOY to +150, significantly narrowing the gap between him and TJ Watt, whose odds worsened to -115.
• [December 17] Patrick Surtain II saw his NFL DPOY odds improve from +950 to +341 after a strong Week 15 performance that included an interception.
• [November 26] Following Week 12, TJ Watt remained the DPOY favorite, but we saw the rest of the top five completely overhauled. Chris Jones, Nick Bosa, Trey Hendrickson, and Dexter Lawrence all dropped out of the top five, with Will Anderson, Xavier McKinney, Danielle Hunter, and Myles Garrett entering the picture. I can’t think of another time I have seen any team or player future see this type of change atop the board.
• [November 5] While on bye in Week 9, TJ Watt moved from the favorite to the odds-on favorite to win NFL DPOY. No other defenders have been able to rise up and challenge Watt after Hutchinson went down to injury.
• [October 15] After suffering a gruesome, season-ending leg injury in Week 6, Aidan Hutchinson was no longer the favorite to win NFL DPOY, as he didn’t even have odds anymore. TJ Watt took over as the favorite again. Will Anderson’s three-sack performance against the Patriots in Week 6 resulted in his odds shortening from +3500 to as short as +450, the second-best on the board.
• [October 1] Though Aidan Hutchinson had a pretty quiet performance on the stat sheet in Week 4, he still took over as the NFL DPOY favorite. Ahead of Week 5, Hutchinson was given +325 odds versus TJ Watt’s +350.
• [September 17] Aidan Hutchinson was dominant against the Buccaneers in Week 2, recording 4.5 sacks in the game, bringing his season total to 5.5 after just two games. At this moment (post-Week 2), Hutchinson has more sacks himself than 18 full teams. After such a big performance, BetMGM has moved Hutchinson to their NFL DPOY favorite. However, every other sportsbook still favored TJ Watt.
• [September 10] It is hard to find a player who single-handedly made a bigger difference on their team’s game in Week 1 than TJ Watt. The Steelers edge rusher was the epitome of a game-wrecker against the Falcons, tallying one sack but being in the backfield and around the ball all game. Watt’s NFL DPOY odds went from +700 to +420, making him the new favorite after Week 1.
• [March 15] Aaron Donald, who opened with +5000 odds to win NFL DPOY this season, has announced his retirement.
• [March 4] Micah Parsons has opened as the favorite to win NFL DPOY. The Cowboys utility defender will be playing his first season in the league without DC Dan Quinn, who is now the Commanders’ head coach. Mike Zimmer will run the defense in Dallas this year.

Top 2024 DPOY Contenders by Position

---

2023 NFL DPOY Odds

Myles Garrett became the first Cleveland Brown to win NFL DPOY when he took home the award for the 2023-24 NFL season. However, Garrett winning the award was far from obvious, as he was neck-and-neck with both Micah Parsons and TJ Watt for most of the season, with Parsons often being seen as the favorite.

I tracked the 2023 NFL DPOY odds from the time they opened right through to the award being handed out on February 8, 2024. Take a look below to see how the odds to win the 2023 NFL DPOY award changed throughout the season.

Four players opened in a tier of their own when it comes to NFL DPOY odds: Myles Garrett, arguably the best athlete in the league; Micah Parsons, the NFL DROY two years ago and heavy favorite for NFL DPOY most of the previous season; Nick Bosa, who was the previous year’s NFL DPOY; and TJ Watt, the NFL DPOY two seasons prior. Bosa pretty quickly fell back into a second tier once the season kicked off, though.

Micah Parsons had been the lone favorite since June, but after Week 10, Myles Garrett took over as the new favorite. Garrett only remained the favorite for a couple weeks before Parsons took back over. After Week 16, Garrett was back atop the board, though.

Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, TJ Watt, Maxx Crosby, and DaRon Bland were named the finalists for the NFL DPOY.

**No sportsbooks reopened their NFL DPOY odds after the conclusion of the NFL regular season.

Myles Garrett had the best odds to win NFL DPOY at -200 when they were last available. Based on those odds, Garrett had a 66.7% chance to win the award, and as we know, he did go on to win DPOY.

Here are some notes on the 2023-24 NFL DPOY odds movement:

• [February 8] Myles Garrett was named the 2023-24 NFL Defensive Player of the Year
• [January 25] There were no major surprises in the NFL DPOY finalists announced today, as Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, TJ Watt, Maxx Crosby, and DaRon Bland were selected from the group.
• [December 26] Myles Garrett has taken back over as the favorite at the majority of online sportsbooks after Week 16. Some betting apps do still list Parsons as the favorite, though.
• [December 3] Micah Parsons has taken back over as the DPOY favorite after Week 13. This isn’t the result of Parsons or the Cowboys defense doing anything spectacular, rather Myles Garrett and the Browns defense giving up 65 points to over the last two weeks – making matters worse, neither of the Broncos or Rams offenses were really seen as powerhouses entering their games with Cleveland either.
• [November 28] DaRon Bland set a new NFL record with his fifth pick-six of the season in Week 12. Bland’s NFL DPOY odds were +7500 entering the week, making him a distant afterthought, but he has emerged with +1600 odds, the fourth-best on the board.
• [November 21] In a game where Cleveland started a rookie quarterback who they clearly did not trust to throw the ball downfield, the Browns were basically asking their defense to beat the Steelers in Week 11. Myles Garrett showed up with two sacks and led the Browns to another win. Garrett’s DPOY odds improved from +140 to +110 as he nears even money to win the award.
• [November 12] Myles Garrett recorded another 1.5 sacks in Week 10, helping the Browns upset the Ravens. Garrett’s dominance led to him taking over as the new favorite to win NFL DPOY. It’s the first time this season where Micah Parsons has not at least been tied for the best odds.
• [October 9] Micah Parsons remains the DPOY favorite in spite of his Cowboys defense getting torched by the 49ers in Week 5. TJ Watt and Myles Garrett are close behind and the three defenders have really separated themselves from the pack at this point.
• [September 18] Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner has seen his NFL DPOY odds start to fade alongside the Jets’ Super Bowl hopes. Gardner had the fifth-best odds entering Week 2, but has come out of it at a distant +3500. Fellow Jet Quinnen Williams is also seeing his odds start to fade.
• [September 5] Ahead of NFL kickoff, Micah Parsons has seen his odds continue to improve, now landing at +450 as the clear favorite to win NFL DPOY. Brian Burns, whose Week 1 status is up in the air at this time due to a contract dispute he is engaged in with the Panthers, has seen his odds fade a little from +3000 to +3500.
• [June 2] Micah Parsons has broken away as the lone favorite to win NFL DPOY, as his odds shortened from +750 to +650.
• [March 6] Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett opened as the favorites to win the 2023-24 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. Both players opened with +750 odds. Last year’s NFL DPOY, Nick Bosa, opened with +1000 odds, good for fourth-best on the board.

Top 2023 NFL DPOY Contenders by Position

2023 DPOY Odds for Past Winners

---

2022 NFL DPOY Odds

I tracked the 2022-23 NFL DPOY odds from when they opened right through to the award being handed out at the NFL Honors. I averaged the odds from multiple sportsbooks and tracked the movement below, aiming to remove the influence of money and providing you with each defender’s true odds of winning the NFL DPOY award during the 2022-23 NFL season.

San Francisco’s Nick Bosa won 2022-23 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, but he was not the favorite for very long. See how his odds changed, as well as other top contenders like Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett, and TJ Watt.

Three players opened in a tier of their own: Myles Garrett, arguably the best athlete in the league; TJ Watt, the previous year’s NFL DPOY; and Micah Parsons, the previous year’s NFL DROY. TJ Watt fell off after tearing his pec in Week 1, though.

Myles Garrett was listed as the favorite after Week 1. Parsons was the favorite after Week 2 and held that title until the conclusion of Week 15. Nick Bosa took over after Week 15 wrapped up. NFL DPOY odds closed when Week 17 kicked off and did not reopen when the games finished that week. All other player awards were live for another week, which suggested sportsbooks felt Nick Bosa had it in the bag.

Closing Odds to Win 2022 NFL DPOY

*Odds as of December 27 

Nick Bosa was awarded the 2022-23 NFL DPOY at the NFL Honors. When odds closed, Bosa was an extremely heavy favorite at -1200 odds. Bosa’s implied probability, based off his odds, to win the award was 92.3% at this point.

His odds were as long as +1250 in late November, though, as Micah Parsons was the heavy favorite at that moment.

Here are some notes on the NFL DPOY odds movement:

• [December 19] Micah Parsons’ Cowboys gave up 40 points to the Jaguars in a disappointing Week 15 collapse. Parsons did record a sack, which was his first in three weeks, but it was not enough to hold off Nick Bosa. The 49ers’ pass-rusher has taken over as the new favorite to win NFL DPOY, as his odds improved from +175 to -125 in the last week.
• [December 12] Despite not logging a sack for the first time since Week 5, Nick Bosa continues to close the gap between him and Micah Parsons in NFL DPOY odds. Parsons is just -280 after Week 14, while Bosa shortened to +175.
• [December 5] Nick Bosa was an absolute game-wrecker in San Francisco’s Week 13 win over the Dolphins. Bosa recorded three sacks and one forced fumble. As of this moment, Bosa now has at least one sack in all but one game he has played this season. The result on the NFL DPOY odds was Bosa moving from +1100 to +250, while Parsons went from -1200 to -450.
• [November 28] Another two-sack performance on Thanksgiving Day has seen Micah Parsons become an overwhelming favorite to win NFL DPOY. His odds improved from -550 to -1200.
• [November 1] Myles Garrett’s odds went from +1300 to +850 after a monster game against the Bengals in Week 8, where Garrett recorded 1.5 sacks, a tipped pass that resulted in an interception, and was generally in Joe Burrow’s face all night.
• [October 24] After recording another sack in Week 7, Micah Parsons has now become the odds-on favorite to win the NFL DPOY award. His odds improved from +100 to -125.
• [October 10] Micah Parsons is now listed at even money (+100) to win the NFL DPOY award, following a Week 5 performance that saw him rack up two sacks and a forced fumble.
• [October 4] Packers pass-rusher Rashan Gary has seen his NFL DPOY odds improve from +2500 to +900, the third-best odds on the board, after recording another two sacks in Week 4. Gary has now recorded at least one sack in each of the first four games of the season.
• [September 27] After Week 3, Micah Parsons has shortened to +250 odds, ahead of Myles Garrett at +550. Garrett suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a one-car accident on Monday, when he flipped his Porsche after practice. His status for Week 4 is uncertain.
• [September 19] Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett are now listed as the co-favorites to win NFL DPOY. Parsons added another two sacks in Week 2, while Garrett got one against the Jets. Both players are given +450 odds to win the award. Aaron Donald has fallen off from +700 to +1400.
• [September 12] With two sacks in Week 1, Myles Garrett has taken over as the favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year. His odds improved from +750 to +550. TJ Watt’s torn pec sees his odds fade from +700 to +3000. Micah Parsons also had two sacks in Week 1, and saw his odds improve from +1000 to +700.
• [September 7] Aaron Donald has seen his average NFL DPOY odds fade to +850 as some sportsbooks are listing him as long as +900. Nick Bosa is seeing his odds improve, going from +1450 to +1250, closing the gap between him and the top four contenders. Rashan Gary has seen the most movement ahead of kickoff, though, as he opened at +7750 and is now getting +3000 odds.
• [April 6] Aaron Donald and TJ Watt have overtaken Myles Garrett atop the NFL DPOY odds, as the two are listed as the co-favorites to win the award at +700 odds.
• [March 25] Myles Garrett has opened as the favorite to win the 2022-23 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. The reigning DPOY, TJ Watt, has opened at +700 odds, just behind Garrett at +650. Micah Parsons, who was given +20000 odds to win last year’s award heading into Week 1 but saw himself listed as the co-favorite in late-December, has opened this year at +1000 odds.

Top 2022 NFL DPOY Contenders by Position

2022 DPOY Odds for Past Winners

---

2021 NFL DPOY Odds

I tracked the 2021 NFL DPOY odds from the time they opened right through to when they closed. TJ Watt won the 2021 NFL DPOY award, but wasn’t seen as the betting favorite for much of the season. See who sportsbooks were favoring to win the 2021 NFL DPOY award and how the odds changed over the course of the 2021-22 NFL season below.

The 2021-22 NFL DPOY award was handed out Thursday, February 10 at the NFL Honors. Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt won the award. He closed a heavy -400 odds-on favorite to win NFL DPOY. We did not see any DPOY odds available after the week of January 4, which was prior to Week 18 of the 2021-22 NFL season. Watt had just become too heavy of a favorite.

• [February 10] The 2021-22 NFL Defensive Player of the Year was awarded to TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers at the NFL Honors. Watt closed as the heavy odds-on favorite to win the award.
• [January 4] TJ Watt racked up four sacks against the Browns on Monday Night Football of Week 17. He is now just 1.5 sacks away from breaking the single-season record. Watt’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds improved from +200 to -400 after Week 17, making him the heavy odds-on favorite to win the award.

Closing Odds to Win 2021 NFL DPOY

*Odds closed January 4

Here are some older notes on the NFL DPOY odds movement:

• [December 27] After Micah Parsons recorded yet another sack in Week 16, he has moved to the co-favorite, alongside TJ Watt, to win NFL DPOY. Fellow Cowboy Trevon Diggs saw his NFL DPOY odds improve from +1000 to +750 with another interception against Washington.
• [December 22] TJ Watt recorded another 1.5 sacks in Week 15, moving his NFL DPOY odds closer to even money. Watt remains the favorite. Micah Parsons has also jumped Myles Garrett on the board, now having the second-best odds to win the award.
• [December 13] In Week 14, Myles Garrett recorded a strip sack, where he also scooped the ball up and scored a touchdown. As a result, he has moved to co-favorite alongside TJ Watt in the latest NFL DPOY odds. The biggest mover, though, is rookie Micah Parsons. The Cowboys linebacker recorded another two sacks in Week 14, one of which was a strip sack of his own. Parsons is an extremely heavy favorite in NFL DROY odds, but has now seen his NFL DPOY odds improve from +3000 to +400.
• [December 6] A 3.5-sack day in Week 13 has resulted in TJ Watt overtaking Myles Garrett as the favorite to win NFL DPOY. It is the first time this season Watt has had the best odds to win NFL DPOY. The Steelers edge rusher now has 16 sacks in just ten games played. His odds entering Week 13 were as long as +700, but have now shortened to +200.
• [November 29] With another sack in Week 12, Myles Garrett’s league-leading season total has reached 14, and his NFL DPOY odds are nearing even money. Trevon Diggs, who had the second-best odds entering the week, saw his odds to win NFL DPOY fade from +400 to +700 after he was picked on a little by the Raiders on Thanksgiving. Diggs is now tied with TJ Watt for the second-best odds.
• [November 22] Patriots linebacker Matt Judon saw his NFL DPOY odds improve from +4000 to +1800 after Week 11. New England’s edge rusher was applying significant pressure on Matt Ryan all night in their TNF matchup, and is now a top five NFL DPOY contender.
• [November 15] Titans safety Kevin Byard moved from outside the top ten to fifth-favorite at +2500 after another solid outing against the Jaguars. He is PFF’s top-rated safety on the season with a 90.5 overall grade.
• [November 1] After recording another 1.5 sacks in the Steelers’ upset win over the Browns in Week 8, TJ Watt has the second-best odds to win NFL DPOY. He leaps Trevon Diggs, who did not record an interception in Week 8, the first game he’s played without one all season.
• [October 25] Browns defensive end Myles Garrett remains the favorite to win NFL DPOY. Raiders edge-rusher Maxx Crosby saw some significant movement to his NFL DPOY odds after Week 7, though. Crosby didn’t record any sacks against the Eagles, but made a couple crucial plays to help Las Vegas hold on to their lead. His odds improved from an average of +5000 to as short as +2500, making him a top ten contender.
• [October 19] Myles Garrett remains the favorite to win NFL DPOY, but Trevon Diggs is right on his tail after recording another pick-six in Week 6. Diggs now has an interception in each of his first six games of the 2021 NFL season, and has seen his NFL DPOY odds go from +6500 all the way to +525 over the last four weeks.
• [October 11] Trevon Diggs is now a top three contender to win NFL DPOY after recording another interception in Week 5, continuing his streak of at least one in every game this season.
• [October 4] Trevon Diggs’ NFL DPOY odds are as short as +1600 after recording two more interceptions in Week 4, bringing his total for the season to five. The Cowboys corner has an interception in every game thus far, and has returned one for a touchdown. Diggs is now a top six contender after not even having odds prior to Week 3.
• [September 27] For the first time this season, Aaron Donald is not the favorite to win NFL DPOY. Myles Garrett is the new favorite after recording 4.5 sacks against the Bears in Week 3.
• [September 21] After failing to record a sack in his first two games, Chase Young has fallen out of the top five contenders for NFL DPOY. Xavien Howard has also seen his odds worsen significantly after Miami’s defense was roughed up by the Bills in Week 2. Jalen Ramsey’s NFL DPOY odds have improved from +3250 to +2000 after a strong outing against the Colts, and Brian Burns’ two sacks have his odds moving from +5750 to +4000.
• [September 15] After racking up an insane five sacks in Week 1 against the Titans, Chandler Jones saw his NFL DPOY odds improve from an average of +4900 to +825. He’s now among the top four contenders to win the award. Xavien Howard also saw his odds improve significantly after a strong performance in Week 1. Two pass-rushers, Khalil Mack and Chase Young, saw their odds fade after failing to make an impact on their respective team’s first games.
• [September 9] Nick Bosa’s NFL DPOY odds have faded slightly, allowing his brother Joey to jump into the top five contenders ahead of the 2021 NFL kickoff.
• [August 26] The gap between Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett atop the board is closing, as the reigning NFL DPOY has seen his odds get a little longer and Garrett’s NFL DPOY odds shortening. Washington’s Chase Young has seen his odds improve significantly, jumping from +1800 to +983, the fourth-best odds on the board.
• [May 14] Unsurprisingly, Aaron Donald has again opened as the favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Donald is the reigning DPOY and has won the award three of the last four years.

Top 2021 DPOY Contenders by Position

2021 DPOY Odds for Past Winners

---

2020 NFL DPOY Odds

I tracked the 2020 NFL DPOY odds since they opened right through to Aaron Donald being announced the winner at the NFL Honors. I averaged the odds from multiple sportsbooks and tracked the movement, removing the influence of money to provide you with each defender’s true odds of winning the award. Donald opened as the favorite, but he saw stiff competition for the award. Look back at how the 2020 NFL DPOY odds changed below.

• [February 6, 2021] In a bit of a surprise, Aaron Donald has won NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the 2020 season. TJ Watt closed as the favorite.
• [December 29] TJ Watt added two more sacks in Week 16 against the Colts, bringing his season total a league-leading 15. As a result, Watt has become the odds-on favorite to win NFL DPOY over Aaron Donald and the rest of the field
• [December 15] Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald added another 1.5 sacks to take the league-lead at 12.5, surpassing TJ Watt, who had one of his worst games of the season against the Bills in Week 14. The result is Donald’s NFL DPOY odds improving from +188 to -143, while Watt, who was favored last week, fell from +166 to +340
• [December 9] Aaron Donald and TJ Watt’s NFL DPOY odds continue shortening, while Watt maintains a slim lead over the two-time recipient entering Week 14
• [December 3] A couple corners, Dolphins’ Xavien Howard and Patriots’ JC Jackson, have both made their first appearance on the odds board after Week 12, with Howard having the sixth-best odds
• [November 24] Despite missing Week 11 and already being ruled out for Week 12, Myles Garrett’s NFL DPOY odds have only faded from +388 to +450, still the third-best
• [November 17] A two-sack performance against the Bengals in Week 10 has resulted in TJ Watt becoming the favorite to win NFL DPOY; Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett trail close behind
• [November 10] Steelers’ defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt has entered the top five NFL DPOY contenders, as his odds improved from +5750 +1500
• [November 3] Aaron Donald is back to being the favorite to win NFL DPOY after adding another sack and forced fumble in Week 8; some sportsbooks favor TJ Watt, however
• [October 27] Myles Garrett has overtaken Aaron Donald as the favorite to win 2020 NFL DPOY after adding two more sacks and a forced fumble in Week 7; Garrett leads the NFL in both categories
• [October 20] Reigning NFL DPOY Stephon Gilmore continues seeing his 2020 odds fade, now just hanging in the top ten contenders
• [October 14] A four-sack performance against Washington in Week 5 has led to Aaron Donald taking back the title of NFL DPOY favorite
• [October 6] Za’Darius Smith’s three-sack performance in Week 4 has made him a top four contender to win NFL DPOY, with his odds improving from +3600 to +1500
• [September 29] For the first time this year, Aaron Donald is not favored to win NFL DPOY, as TJ Watt’s average odds improved from +1200 to +500 to take over the top spot on the board
• [September 22] Nick Bosa was tied for the second-best average DPOY odds before suffering what’s likely a season-ending knee injury in Week 2; Khalil Mack now sits behind Aaron Donald on the odds board
• [September 15] After recording a sack in Week 1, Joey Bosa has entered the top five DPOY contenders; Chase Young also saw significant DPOY odds movement after posting 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in his NFL debut, moving from +4600 to +2900
• [September 9] A couple top ten DPOY contenders have gone down to injury in Von Miller and Derwin James; Chandler Jones and Jamal Adams have taken their place among the top ten in DPOY odds
• [August 21] Now a member of the Seahawks, Jamal Adams has seen his DPOY odds improve from +3300 to +2525, the 13th-best odds in the NFL
• [June 12] Myles Garrett has seen his DPOY odds shorten from +2625 to +2200, leaving him just outside of the top ten contenders
• [March 27] Although he didn’t win the award last season, Aaron Donald has opened as the favorite to win NFL DPOY for the second straight season

Closing 2020 Odds to Win NFL DPOY

*Odds updated December 29

Top 2020 DPOY Contenders by Position

2020 DPOY Odds for Past Winners

---

2019 NFL DPOY Odds

I tracked the 2019 NFL DPOY odds since they opened, on July 27, 2019, until they closed. Instead of just providing the current odds at one source, however, I averaged the odds from multiple sportsbooks and tracked their movement.

Stephon Gilmore won the 2019 NFL DPOY award, but he was an afterthought when 2019 DPOY odds opened. Look back at the odds to see how they changed throughout the season below.

• [February 2] Stephon Gilmore was named 2019 NFL DPOY
• [January 29] Stephon Gilmore’s NFL DPOY odds continue to improve, reaching -1500 ahead of the NFL Honors
• [December 31] Shaq Barrett saw his odds go from +1400 to +800 after overtaking Chandler Jones for the most sacks in the 2019 season; the Bucs defender has the second-best odds to win the award
• [December 25] Stephon Gilmore remains the odds-on favorite, but his odds got a little worse; Chandler Jones saw his odds move from +2000 to +1000 after a four-sack performance against the Seahawks in Week 16
• [December 18] For the first time this season, we have an odds-on favorite to win DPOY: Stephon Gilmore
• [December 11] Aaron Donald is back to being favored to win DPOY for the first time since October 23
• [December 4] NFL DPOY odds reopened for the first time since November 13, and Stephon Gilmore remains favored; Aaron Donald is right on his heels, though
• [November 13] For the first time this year, Nick Bosa and Minkah Fitzpatrick have been given odds to win DPOY, both coming in as top ten contenders
• [November 6] For the first time this season, neither Khalil Mack or Aaron Donald are the favorite to win NFL DPOY, as Stephon Gilmore and Joey Bosa have become co-favorites
• [October 23] Mack and Donald are listed as co-favorites to win DPOY after Week 8
• [October 16] Khalil Mack’s odds continue to shorten, now landing at +300
• [October 9] For the first time this year, Aaron Donald is not favored to win NFL DPOY, as Khalil Mack has overtaken him
• [October 2] Shaquil Barrett has finally been given odds to win DPOY, opening at +1200
• [September 25] Even after recording two sacks and two forced fumbled in Week 3, Khalil Mack still trails Aaron Donald in DPOY odds
• [September 22] Joey Bosa’s odds have gone from +2200 (entering Week 1) to +6600 (after Week 1) and now landed at +1400 ahead of Week 3
• [September 11] Despite being rather invisible in Week 1, Von Miller’s DPOY odds have improved from +1050 to +800
• [September 5] Myles Garrett’s odds continue to shorten, now landing at an average of +800, good for third-best odds
• [August 19] Over the last 2.5 weeks, Myles Garrett has seen his DPOY odds shorten from +2225 to +1267, resulting in him leaping Joey Bosa for a spot in the top five
• [July 27] Back-to-back DPOY winner Aaron Donald has opened as the favorite to win the award again in 2019

2019 DPOY Top Contenders by Position

2019 DPOY Odds for Past Winners