The NFL Comeback Player of the Year is one of the more subjective awards the league bestows each season. Awards like MVP and Coach of the Year may be based mostly on how stats and numbers stack up against the rest, but Comeback Player of the Year is more of a two-year award. And as it stands today, Bills safety Damar Hamlin is the far favorite to win in 2023-24.
We all know the scary, troubling, and inspiring story of Damar Hamlin and her health struggles. All eyes in the world of sports (and beyond) were fixed on the situation that took place on January 2 in Cincinnati and the subsequent reaction and recovery. His name dominated late-season headlines, and the NFL even had to undergo extremely rare time/location changes to accommodate the canceled game.
What are the odds that Damar Hamlin will win the CPOY?
Because of his situation, Hamlin doesn’t need to do much more than just get back on the field to win next year’s CPOY award. According to BetOnline.ag, Hamlin is the heavy favourite, at odds of +175. Coming back from a life-threatening injury that occurred in front of all of our eyes is probably impressive enough to warrant the award, perhaps even unanimously.
As for the traditional CPOY candidates, the rest of the top 5 are all offensive players. Lamar Jackson had an injury-plagued season in 2022 and is listed at +750 to win the award, the second-lowest odds. Cooper Kupp, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 10 last year, is currently at +800.
The bottom two of the top-5 are both quarterbacks. Tua Tagovailoa was able to put up MVP-like numbers around the multiple concussions he suffered in 2022, and he’s a candidate for CPOY if he can stay healthy and put up similar numbers. The Miami Dolphins QB is listed at +900. Russell Wilson, who had a famously poor year during his first season in Denver, has a new coach and perhaps a second fresh start in as many years. He, along with 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, is listed at +1200.
Other notable names on the bet sheet are Calvin Ridley, who was suspended last season for gambling on the games, and Kyler Murray, who will play under a new head coach in 2023.
