Damar Hamlin Early Favorite For NFL Comeback Player of the Year

The NFL Comeback Player of the Year is one of the more subjective awards that the league hands out every season. The awards like MVP and Coach of the Year can be based mostly on how statistics 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 far and away the favorite to win in 2023-24.

We all know the frightening, concerning, and inspirational story of Damar Hamlin and his health issues. All eyes in the sports world (and beyond) were fixated on the situation that took place on January 2nd in Cincinnati and the subsequent reaction and recovery. His name dominated the late-season headlines, and the NFL even had to undergo extremely rare schedule/location changes in order to accommodate for the canceled game.

What Are The Odds Of Damar Hamlin Winning CPOY?

Because of his situation, Hamlin doesn’t need to do much more than simply get back on the field in order to win next year’s CPOY award. According to BetOnline.ag, Hamlin is the runaway favorite, with his odds sitting at +175. Returning from a life-threatening injury that happened in front of all of our eyes will likely be 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-riddled season in 2022, and is listed at +750 to win the award, the second-shortest odds. Cooper Kupp, who suffered a season-ending ankle ailment in Week 10 last year, is currently at +800.

The final two of the top-5 are both quarterbacks. Tua Tagovailoa was able to put up MVP-like numbers around the multiple concussions that he suffered in 2022, and he is a candidate for CPOY if he is able to remain 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 coach and perhaps a second fresh start in as many years. He along with 49ers QB Trey Lance are listed at +1200.

Other notable names on the betting sheet are Calvin Ridley, who was suspended last season for gambling on games, and Kyler Murray, who will be playing under a new head coach in 2023.