NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds 2025

The NFL is all about big time throws, jaw-dropping runs, and absolutely spectacular catches, but as the old saying goes..

“Offense wins games, defense wins championships.”

So while in this world of player props and fantasy football and everything else that caters to the offensive side of the ball, what does the other side of the football get as far as accolades go?

Look no further than the prestigious NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, which is essentially the NFL MVP Award but for the unsung heroes on the defensive side of the football.

The NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is unique from the other awards for a whole host of reasons, but it’s the wide open nature of the award where any defensive position can ultimately win the award that truly makes it special.

For sports bettors, just like the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award offers a lot of tantalizing star power and several deep sleepers with a tremendous amount of value.

In this article we will break down everything there is to do with betting on the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, show you the early favorites to win the 2025 award, and offer our favorite deep sleepers that could turn a small bet into a hefty profit.

Note: Odds were correct at the time of writing.

How is the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award Decided?

Each season, the Associated Press, known by many as the AP, gives out the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award to the defensive player they believe has performed the best throughout the course of the regular season.

A panel of 50 sportswriters and media members rank their top five choices for the award at the end of each NFL season, with the winner being the player who receives the most votes as determined by where they are slotted in each respective writer or media member’s top five.

In other words, the more first place votes a player receives, the higher the likelihood they will be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

The NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is a special recognition for all those hard-working athletes on the side of the football that don’t get quite as much love as those guys who play offense. It would take a monumental season for a defensive player to win the NFL MVP award, so this is the closest thing to that honor on the defensive side of the football.

As we mentioned above, unlike the MVP and OPOY awards which basically go to any three positions (QB, RB, WR) on offense each season, the DPOY award is much more wide open.

Dating back to the 2000 season, here’s a position by position breakdown showing who has brought home this award over the last 25 seasons of NFL action.

Position	DPOY Awards Won Since 2000
Defensive End / EDGE	9
Defensive Tackle	6
Linebacker	5
Defensive Back	5

As you can see, relentless pass rushers, tackle machines at linebacker, and lockdown corners are all in the mix to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Top Candidates to Win the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year Award

Micah Parsons (+600) – Dallas Cowboys

If Jerry Jones doesn’t want to pay Micah Parsons now, imagine how much more expensive he’s going to be if he goes on to win his first career NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award?

At FanDuel Sportsbook, Parsons is the short favorite to do just that, and for good reason. In just 12 games last season on a bad Cowboys team, Parsons still registered 12 sacks in 13 games.

The Cowboys are still called America’s Team for a reason. Despite not winning a Super Bowl in three decades, the Cowboys are still everyone’s favorite hate watch. If Parsons puts together a monster season as he’s looking to get a monster contract extension, he’s a very strong candidate to ultimately bring home this award.

Aidan Hutchinson (+700) – Detroit Lions

Prior to a gruesome injury that sidelined him for the rest of the 2024 NFL Season, Aidan Hutchinson was well on his way to bring home his first career NFL DPOY award.

Hutch started 2024 blisteringly hot with 7.5 sacks in his first five games of action, and the Lions defense fell completely apart shortly after his injury occurred.

With his return and the Lions considered one of the NFC’s best teams once again, Hutchinson not only figures to be a strong candidate to win NFL DPOY, but also the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

T.J. Watt (+850) – Pittsburgh Steelers

Watt took home this award once already in his career, back in 2021, and he figures to be in the mix to win another DPOY award in 2025.

When healthy, there are few pass rushers in the game that feast on opposing quarterbacks more than the face of the Steelers’ defense. Since his rookie season in 2017, Watt’s lowest sack total in which he played at least 15 games came in 2024 when he finished with 11.5 sacks.

The fact an 11.5 sack season is considered underwhelming for a player says all you need to know about the level of excellence Watt has achieved throughout his storied career.

While T.J. is about turn 31 in October, he’s still a relentless specimen on the defensive side of the ball and should always be considered a strong contender to win the NFL DPOY award.

Myles Garrett (+850) – Cleveland Browns

Like T.J. Watt, Browns pass-rusher and overall freak of nature Myles Garrett is also looking to capture his second career NFL DPOY award in 2025, and despite the Browns being.. the Browns .. Garrett figures to have as good of a chance as any to do just that.

Garrett began his offseason with a trade request that was quickly resolved with a good old fashioned pay raise, and now he enters his ninth season where he has only finished with single-digit sacks in his rookie year, a season he played in only 11 games.

Garrett has been flat out dominant throughout his Browns career, posting seasons of 16, 16, 14, and 14 sacks over his last four seasons. If the Browns defense can return to their 2023 form, which just so happened to be the season Garrett was named DPOY, he could very well need some more space in his trophy case. 

Sneaky Good Value Picks

Jared Verse (+1500) – Los Angeles Rams

Right when quarterbacks in the NFC thought they could breathe a little easier again when facing the Rams, Jared Verse decided to have his coming out party in his rookie season.

Despite finishing with just 4.5 sacks on the season, Verse was a relentless specimen that harassed quarterbacks all season long, and figures poised to make a big leap into full blown superstardom in his sophomore campaign.

Will he have the numbers the four main contenders will surely produce this season? Only time will tell, but at 15-1 odds, it does merit your consideration given Verse’s insane talent.

Will Anderson Jr. (+1600) – Houston Texans

After winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, Will Anderson came out and played even better in 2024, posting 11 sacks in just 14 games for the Texans.

The soon-to-be 24-year-old out of Alabama, like Jared Verse before him, appears to be on the brink of joining the group of elite pass rushers in his third season, and you can get him at 16-1 before the season kicks off.

Come Super Bowl week when the NFL Honors show takes place, we all may be wondering why we didn’t buy into Will Anderson when we had the chance.

Jalen Carter (+2200) – Philadelphia Eagles

Any questions about Jalen Carter that were asked a few years ago when the Georgia product was entering the draft sure look pretty foolish now.

The Eagles, as per the usual under GM Howie Roseman, came out way ahead thanks to the NFL’s odd reluctance to take on the uber-talented defensive tackle, and now Jalen Carter is the key cog on a Philly defense that terrorized Patrick Mahomes all night long in Super Bowl 57 just six months ago.

Given the star power on this football team and the very real likelihood that the Eagles will once again be amongst the best teams in football, you can sure do a lot worse than 22-1 on Jalen Carter.

The Super Sleepers

Pat Surtain II (+3300) – Denver Broncos

How in the world is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year being offered at 33-1?

Sure, there are numerous pass rushers that will grab the attention of many, but Patrick Surtain is the best corner in football by a pretty significant margin.

It’s rare for someone to go back-to-back when it comes to winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, with Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt being the last two players to do it, but why not slap a pizza bet down on Surtain at 33-1?

Fred Warner (+7500) – San Francisco 49ers

Fred Warner is reunited with Robert Saleh, has posted over 130 tackles in four straight seasons, has been named a 1st team All-Pro in three straight seasons, and you can get him at 75-1 odds to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year?! What?!

All betting odds courtesy FanDuel Sportsbook

2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds

Player/Position	Team	Betting Odds
Micah Parsons (EDGE)	Dallas Cowboys	+600
Aidan Hutchinson (DE)	Detroit Lions	+700
T.J. Watt (EDGE)	Pittsburgh Steelers	+850
Myles Garrett (DE)	Cleveland Browns	+850
Nick Bosa (DE)	San Francisco 49ers	+1100
Jared Verse (EDGE)	Los Angeles Rams	+1500
Will Anderson Jr. (EDGE)	Houston Texans	+1600
Maxx Crosby (DE)	Las Vegas Raiders	+1600
Jalen Carter (DT)	Philadelphia Eagles	+2200
Nik Bonitto (EDGE)	Denver Broncos	+3000

How To Bet On The NFL Defensive Player Of The Year

To bet on the DPOY award, you must:

1. Log into your sportsbook.
2. Look for the NFL betting odds tab.
3. Click on the ‘Players Futures’ category.
4. Select the DPOY award to display the odds.
5. Choose the player you want to wager on.
6. Submit it from the bet slip window on the right-hand side of the screen.