After tipping Josh Allen for MVP last season, Matt Temple-Marsh returns to look at the regular season awards, and picks who will be taking home the silverware come end of year.
NFL betting tips: Regular season awards
3pts Abdul Carter to win Defensive rookie of the year at 15/8 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
2pts Dak Prescott to win Comeback player of the year at 3/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
2pts Micah Parsons to win Defensive player of the year at 5/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
1pt Omarion Hampton to win Offensive rookie of the year at 7/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
1pt Sean Payton to win Coach of the year at 18/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
0.5pt Box Nix to win MVP at 66/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
0.25pt Ricky Pearsall to win Offensive player of the year at 250/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
Most Valuable Player: Bo Nix
The MVP is a crowded market this season – and often the winner is far from a betting favourite. Mahomes won in 2018, then Jackson in 2019 – both of whom were real long shots (Mahomes was over 50/1 heading into the season) coming into their second seasons.
Looking at second year quarterbacks, it may feel odd to not go for rookie of the year Jayden Daniels, but Bo Nix represents great value. He finished the season on fire; the Broncos averaged over 32 points per game through their final seven games – and Nix was posting elite numbers.
Over his last 10 games he was on pace to post full season numbers of 4,299 yards, 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, with just shy of a 70% completion rate – and let’s not forget his rushing value too with 430 yards & 4 TDs.
Denver are assembling a super team (with a particularly stacked defence). A full offseason under Sean Payton, with more weapons on offence give Nix the opportunity to elevate his game to the next level. Look out for Denver and Nix to drive the Broncos to the playoffs and beyond.
Offensive Player of the Year: Ricky Pearsall
This is a true long shot, but the buzz around Pearsall simply won’t stop. He closed out the season with 210 yards and 2 scores in his final two games, showing he has the full trust from Kyle Shanahan and newly paid QB Brock Purdy – and let’s not forget that he was quite literally shot in the chest before his rookie season had even begun.
Top WR Brandon Aiyuk’s timetable to return from injury is still far from clear, and fellow WR Jauan Jennings is dealing with a calf injury/contract issues – plus we saw the departure from Deebo Samuel this offseason, opening a bounty of targets to come Pearsall’s way.
49ers’ media reporters haven’t stopped the hype on Pearsall all summer, detailing a real growth in his game. We’ll need a season that see’s the second year player catch 100+ catches, 1,500 yards and double-digit touchdowns – but at 250/1 there’s more than a chance.
Defensive Player of the Year: Micah Parsons
An earth-shattering trade lands Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, who are now squarely Super Bowl contenders. In terms of physical talent, Parsons is at the very top of defensive players in the NFL, a Swiss army knife who can truly do it all.
The Packers ranked sixth in points allowed last season – showing he arrives to an already burgeoning defence, ready to go to the next level with Micah on board. Parsons is one of only two NFL players to post 12 sacks in each of their first 4 seasons, the other being Reggie White – and he thrived in Green Bay. All eyes will be on Parsons after the deal of the decade, and he has enough talent to live up to it all.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Omarion Hampton
The ‘safe pick’ here is Ashton Jeanty – the highest selected running back in the draft, but I believe Hampton enters a much better environment. Jeanty is on the Raiders, an offence lacking talent outside of Brock Bowers – with a weak offensive line, plus their defence is absolutely void of talent. This means the Raiders are likely to be in trailing positions often, leading to more of a passing attack.
Hampton is a workhorse back with a proven resume, who comes into a great position. The Chargers are overtly run heavy with Greg Roman as OC, and they boast one of the best defences in the entire league. Najee Harris may scare prospective bettors in backfield share – but talent wins out, plus Harris may only have one functioning eye at this point after a disastrous firework incident in the offseason.
Jeanty stole the headlines this draft, but Hampton is rightly a first round back in his own right. He racked up over 2,000 total scrimmage yards last season with 17 touchdowns, plus to show off his consistency he had 10+ games with 100+ rushing yards. There’s a path where Hampton has over 250+ touches this season, so look for him to explode onto the scene.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Abdul Carter
He’s the clear favourite for a reason – the Giants could have the best defence on paper this season, especially when looking at their defensive line – loaded with Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and now Carter too.
The camp buzz has been phenomenal, standing out as the immediate best edge rusher. In his final season with Penn State he racked up 12 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss – and he’s ready to make an instant impact coming into the NFL. The Giants defensive scheme is all out blitzing chaos, opening more opportunities for Carter – expect big numbers.
Comeback Player of the Year: Dak Prescott
There are some big names in this category this year – but it’s worth remembering that this award has been won by a quarterback for seven straight years and looking back further 13 out of the last 16 winners have been QBs. Even with Damar Hamlin’s tragic incident and heroic comeback, it still wasn’t enough to win it over a quarterback!
Dak is coming back from a heavy hamstring injury, but in his prime, he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, capable of posting huge numbers. Plus, the offence is set up for a big year for Dak. They’ve added George Pickens – giving Prescott two premium WRs.
The Cowboys still lack a competent running back and the trade of Micah Parsons just seriously downgraded their defence – we can expect a heavy air raid passing attack from Dak as he compiles some impressive stats.
Coach of the Year: Sean Payton
This award is as much about record as it is the storyline. With me already tipping Bo Nix it’s clear that I’m hot on the Broncos – and Payton represents great value here. Nix is a dark horse, but Payton is well known as one of the true best head coaches in the NFL.
The Broncos are improving fast, and this award is all about storied comebacks from depths of despair to late January runs. Nix is poised for a breakout year, and their brilliant defence did nothing but improve in the offseason, with a bounty of high-profile free agency additions. Denver could be a juggernaut.
Posted at 1755 BST on 31/08/25
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