NFL Comeback Player of the Year Odds & Best Bets

• Patrick Mahomes is a sizable favorite to win the award
• Christian McCaffrey won the 2025 Comeback Player of the Year award
• Continue reading for a recap of the NFL Comeback Player of the Year odds

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The Associated Press has given out the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award dating back to 1998. It has largely been dominated by quarterbacks, with two quarterbacks (Chad Pennington and Joe Burrow) winning the award twice. The last 10 awards have been won by offensive players, eight quarterbacks and two wide receivers.

Keep reading for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year odds as well as a look at three best bets.

NFL Comeback Player of the Year Odds

Patrick Mahomes leads the way in odds, listed at +125 on FanDuel. New Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray is second in odds at +1000. Fellow quarterbacks Daniel Jones (+1500) and Malik Willis (+2500) are also among the favorites.

Other non-quarterbacks on offense include Malik Nabers (+1500), George Kittle (+1900), and Tucker Kraft (+2500).

The first defensive player on the board is Packers’ pass rusher Micah Parsons who has 12-to-1 odds. Behind Parsons, other defenders include Nick Bosa (+2000), Fred Warner (+2000), and Travis Hunter (+2500).

NFL Comeback Player of the Year Best Bets

• Patrick Mahomes, +125

Mahomes’ candidacy has two strong forces behind it. First, Mahomes did not play at his usual level in 2025. He had the lowest full-season passer rating of his career and a career-low 22 passing touchdowns. Second, he is coming off a season-ending injury. As it stands, Mahomes is a great value bet at any plus-money given the talent level and double-pronged comeback.

Quarterbacks have won the last eight Comeback Player of the Year Awards. Mahomes seems to be on track to return in Week 1, but if he returns in September, he will likely run away with this award. The Chiefs are in the top 10 in 2027 Super Bowl Odds and are massive favorites to return to the playoffs in NFL Playoff Odds.

Mahomes is among the leaders in NFL MVP odds, an award he won in both 2019 and 2022.

• Malik Nabers, +1500

The last wide receiver to win Comeback Player of the Year was Keenan Allen for the 2017 Chargers, one of two receivers to win in the last 10 seasons. Nabers missed 13 games in 2025 after recording 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns in four games. He showed his immense potentual with a 167-yard, two-touchdown outburst in Week 2.

If Mahomes does not win, I like Nabers as a returning No. 1 wide receiver to post a massive season. In 2024, Nabers racked up 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. Nabers made the Pro Bowl and finished fifth in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. He has 205 targets in 19 games in his career.

• Nick Bosa, +2000

Since 2010, only one defensive player has won Comeback Player of the Year: Eric Berry in 2015. Nick Bosa did not receive any votes for the award in 2021 after returning from injury, but with a larger ballot now, Bosa is a decent contender.

A four-time Pro Bowler, Bosa missed 14 games and San Francisco’s playoff run last season. He has Defensive Player of the Year upside, an award he won in 2022. While he and Micah Parsons are a similar caliber of player, I prefer Bosa’s odds, and Bosa is three months further along in his recovery.

Bosa is listed at +1200 in Defensive Player of the Year odds, among the top 10.

Previous Comeback Player of the Year Winners

In 2025, Christian McCaffrey won the award after posting 2,126 scrimmage yards and 17 total touchdowns. He finished fourth in MVP voting and second in Offensive Player of the Year. He was named to the All-Pro team as well. In 2024, he missed 13 games.