The 2026 NFL season is just around the corner, meaning it’s time to start diving into one of the most fun betting markets in the sport – awards futures. One honor is often an afterthought in terms of media exposure, but that doesn’t make it any less worth checking out in this context; we’re talking about Comeback Player of the Year.
There are a few interesting options on the board, so let’s tale a look at the top picks and best bet for the 2026 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award on DraftKings Sportsbook.
2026 NFL Comeback Player of the year picks, best bet
This award is much more storyline-based than some others that hinge more on statistical production. Each year, voters select a player who battled back from adversity, whether that be from a significant injury that caused them to miss time, or circumstances of a career on the downturn before a resurgent campaign. Recent winners over the last four seasons include Christian McCaffrey, Joe Burrow, Joe Flacco, and Geno Smith.
As things currently stand in late July, here’s the leaderboard for Comeback Player of the Year on DraftKings Sportsbook:
The key to this award market is picking a player who fights their way back from significant adversity. Well, the odds leaderboard certainly has no shortage of names who will be making comebacks from injury this season.
Four players sit at the top with odds of +1000 value or shorter. The favorite is Patrick Mahomes, who needs no introduction given his transcendent level of talent as one of the premier quarterbacks to ever touch the planet. His 2025 season was largely excellent and represented a surge back to something resembling the peak of his powers for stretches following a down 2024 – the Chiefs’ signal-caller completed 62.7% of his passes for 3,587 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding 422 rushing yards and five more scores on the ground. However, his year was cut short after 14 games by a torn ACL. Now, he’s been fully cleared for training camp.
Assuming he’s available to play beginning in Week 1 (and even if he isn’t), Mahomes is a clear favorite for this award for a reason. He’s one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever toss a football and a media darling as one of the faces of the NFL. Those factors all play significantly in his favor, and as strange as it is to say it, the severity of the injury he’ll be returning from does as well. If we’re looking for names with narrative value, a strong year from Mahomes that puts Kansas City back in playoff contention should position him as a clear top choice, even at value of just +185 as things stand.
Jayden Daniels is another one of the interesting names at +450. The Commanders’ quarterback earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie in 2024 and led his team to the postseason with a sensational season and incredibly entertaining style of play. However, he played just seven games in 2025 with only 1,262 passing yards and eight touchdowns, plus 278 yards and two touchdowns as a runner. He was in-and-out of the starting job due to a hamstring issue, then a pair of elbow injuries later in the year. If he can get back to anything resembling his 2024 form, he’s a compelling choice for Comeback Player of the Year but still lacks the complimentary weapons and storyline of Mahomes. He’s probably a name to pass on at the top.
Kyler Murray is another interesting one for this award. At his best, the former Heisman Trophy winner became one of the NFL’s most exciting quarterbacks with his backyard-football heroics. However, the Cardinals didn’t have a winning record in either of the last two seasons, and last year, Murray played only five games. His statistical output took a downturn over the small sample before a foot injury left him sidelined. There was some chatter that he was “soft benched” in a sense by the coaching staff since he didn’t wind up returning throughout the rest of the 2025 campaign, but regardless, he missed plenty of time. The two-time Pro Bowler now finds himself on a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings, who have a playoff-caliber roster and a head coach who can potentially get the most out of him. If Kevin O’Connell can unlock Murray’s game in the same way he turned Sam Darnold’s career trajectory around, the +550 value on the quarterback to win Comeback Player of the Year makes him worth a shot as a mid-tier option.
Finally, the first defensive player on the board is Micah Parsons. The +1000 value does appear to bring significant long-shot value at first glance, but there’s a trend worth noting – the last defender to win Comeback Player of the Year was safety Eric Berry in 2015 after returning to the field following cancer treatments. Parsons was one of the NFL’s top talents on his side of the ball as an elite pass rusher and legitimate Defensive Player of the Year threat in any given season. After being traded to the Green Bay Packers for multiple first-round picks, he tore an ACL late in 2025 and has now landed on the PUP list to start training camp. That doesn’t bode quite as well for his immediate return in comparison to Mahomes, and with such a reliance on his quickness and burst, Parsons may not be the same disruptive force with double-digit sacks as in the past this year. Based on the historic precedent, it would require a very impressive campaign for him to win this award as a defender, though he does have the narrative of a return from severe injury as part of his story.
With all that said, Mahomes remains the favorite for a reason. Of course, we’re yet to even reach the preseason and there’s a lot of football to be played before awards season, so all of this is subject to change based on performances. However, there’s just so much working in Mahomes’ favor as a face of the sport and all-time great at a premium position making his return from a serious injury. He’s still the top pick, though Murray deserves a nod as a slightly longer-shot bet given the potential to put forth extremely impressive statistical production for what could be a playoff team, especially after being cut this past offseason.
