NFL Comeback Player of the Year odds are available at legal online sportsbooks. Current betting favorites to win include Aaron Rodgers (+200) and Joe Burrow (+300).
Latest NFL Comeback Player of the Year odds for 2024
NFL Comeback Player of the Year favorites
Aaron Rodgers
Comeback Player of the Year odds:
Aaron Rodgers’ first season with the Jets came to an end on the opening series of his debut appearance. He went down to a season-ending injury, taking New York’s hopes for an immediate turnaround with him. Rodgers will return for the Jets’ NFL Week 1 game against the 49ers. He’s the offseason betting favorite to win the award.
Joe Burrow
Comeback Player of the Year odds:
The Bengals were without Joe Burrow for the rest of the 2023 season following a wrist injury during a pivotal Week 11 loss to the Ravens. Cincinnati dropped to 5-5 with the defeat, but it managed to stay competitive the rest of the way with Jake Browning under center, finishing at 9-8 and just missing a wild card spot. As Burrow gets set to return, Cincinnati is a top five favorite in early 2025 Super Bowl odds.
Kirk Cousins
Comeback Player of the Year odds:
Kirk Cousins is also on the comeback trail after having his season come to an end with a torn Achilles in Week 8. He’ll be returning in new surroundings after moving on from the Minnesota Vikings and signing with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. The Falcons are the favorites in NFL division odds to win the NFC South.
Anthony Richardson
Comeback Player of the Year odds:
Anthony Richardson’s rookie season came to an end in Week 5. He appeared in four games before going down to season-ending shoulder surgery, also missing a start due to being in the league’s concussion protocol. He showed promise in limited time, however, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for four more as the Colts went 2-2 with him at the helm.
Nick Chubb
Comeback Player of the Year odds:
Nick Chubb was sidelined with ACL and MCL injuries in a Week 2 loss to the Steelers last season. The Browns rode a makeshift backfield to the NFL playoffs, losing 45-14 to the Texans in the wild card round. Chubb rushed for 1,000 or more yards in each of the previous four seasons, and the hope is that he’ll return to form as the RB1 for the Browns.
Breaking down previous NFL Comeback Player of the Year winners
The table below has details on the last decade of NFL Comeback Player of the Year award winners.
| Year | Player | Team | Came back from? | Age |
| 2023 | Joe Flacco (QB) | Browns | Declining performance | 38 |
| 2022 | Geno Smith (QB) | Seahawks | Took over starting role | 33 |
| 2021 | Joe Burrow (QB) | Bengals | Return from knee surgery | 25 |
| 2020 | Alex Smith (QB) | Washington | Missed entire season — leg injury | 36 |
| 2019 | Ryan Tannehill (QB) | Titans | Trade from Dolphins | 31 |
| 2018 | Andrew Luck (QB) | Colts | Lost season — shoulder injury | 29 |
| 2017 | Keenan Allen (WR) | Chargers | Torn ACL in previous season opener | 25 |
| 2016 | Jordy Nelson (WR) | Packers | Lost season — torn ACL | 31 |
| 2015 | Eric Berry (S) | Chiefs | Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis and treatment | 27 |
| 2014 | Rob Gronkowski (TE) | Patriots | Torn ACL and MCL | 25 |
Seven of the last 10 winners have made a successful return following a season-ending medical-related issue. Tannehill, Smith, and Flacco are the outliers, with all three QBs seeing a boost in performance in either new surroundings or new roles.
Five of the award winners over the past decade — and four of the last five — have won the award at age 30 or older. Flacco, last season’s winner, tops the list at 38, delivering a rejuvenated performance after taking over as the starter for the Browns.
Comeback Player of the Year odds tracker
Here’s a look at the odds for Comeback Player of the Year award contenders and the movement since the initial release of lines at top sports betting sites in the US. Click on the current odds if you wish to place a bet.
| Player | Current Odds | July 23 Odds | Opening Odds |
| Aaron Rodgers | +200 | +100 | |
| Joe Burrow | +300 | +200 | |
| Kirk Cousins | +600 | +500 | |
| Anthony Richardson | +700 | +750 | |
| Nick Chubb | +1300 | +3000 | |
| Daniel Jones | +2000 | +2500 | |
| Deshaun Watson | +3300 | +1500 | |
| Kyler Murray | +4500 | +3000 | |
| Justin Herbert | +5000 | +6000 | |
| Tank Dell | +5000 | +2500 | |
| J.K. Dobbins | +5000 | +6000 | |
| Jacoby Brissett | +6000 | +6000 | |
| Bryce Young | +6500 | +10000 | |
| Joey Bosa | +7000 | +6000 | |
| Russell Wilson | +7000 | +1200 | |
| Jameis Winston | +8000 | +8000 | |
| Kenny Pickett | +8000 | +8000 | |
| Sam Howell | +8000 | +6000 | |
| Sam Darnold | +8000 | +3000 | |
| Justin Fields | +10000 | +4000 |
History of quarterbacks winning Comeback Player of the Year
Quarterbacks are riding a six-season winning streak of the Comeback Player of the Year award. That broke a run of four years in which the award went to another position. Prior to that, QBs had won the previous six.
In preseason odds for this season’s winner, a QB holds down the top four spots on the odds board and eight of the top nine. The four top favorites are all returning from injury, making them strong contenders to win if they can deliver a successful bounce-back campaign.
Voting for last year’s award was close, with Flacco edging out Damar Hamlin. Baker Mayfield finished in a distant third place. Current odds point to Chubb as having the best chance to end the QB stranglehold on the award, followed by Tank Dell and J.K. Dobbins.
NFL Comeback Player of the Year FAQ
The NFL Comeback Player of the Year award is voted on by a panel of media personnel. Voters rank three selections in order, and the choices receive points on a sliding scale of 5-3-1. The nominee with the most total points wins the award.
Chad Pennington won the award in 2006 as a member of the New York Jets and in 2008 with the Miami Dolphins. Chargers RB Paul Lowe won the award in 1963 and 1965.
The Chargers have produced the most Comeback Player of the Year award winners with five. Keenan Allen (2017) was the team’s most recent winner. The Patriots are next with four.
The AP Comeback Player of the Year was first awarded in 1963. Through 1966, one NFL and one AFL player each received an award. The honor was sidelined from 1967 to 1997 and has been awarded annually since 1998.