Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt is the fourth-highest favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year next season, per odds posted by DraftKings. At +950, Watt trails Detroit Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson (+650), Dallas Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons (+750) and Cleveland Browns DL Myles Garrett (+850).
Watt’s coming off what was a down year by his standards, recording 11.5 sacks, his lowest total in a full season since his rookie year. He still finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and was a second-team All-Pro, so it’s easy to see why Watt is still one of the favorites.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him once again be the most dominant pass-rusher in the league, but Hutchinson was having an incredibly impressive year before suffering a serious leg injury. Parsons has had double-digit sacks in all four of his years in the league. Garrett also outproduced Watt last season and is always a contender for the award.
Denver Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II won the award last year, but he’s 11th in the current betting odds at +4000. Minkah Fitzpatrick at +15000 is the closest Steeler to Watt on the list, while Alex Highsmith and Joey Porter Jr. are both at +20000.
The way it works is a $100 bet on Watt to win at +950 would win $950. Meanwhile, betting $100 on Highsmith or Porter to win would pay $20,000. The value with Watt could be there, as he’s won the award before, in 2021, and arguably should’ve won it in 2023 when he was edged out by Garrett.
Watt’s also entering what, as of now, is his last year of his contract, and the team and him are working on an extension, although early indications were that the talks weren’t going well. But it would be a big surprise if Watt entered the 2025 season without a new deal, and a new contract could help be a motivating factor to push Watt into another level.
Like it usually is, it should be a tightly-contested race for Defensive Player of the Year, and Vegas thinks that T.J. Watt will be involved with it throughout the season. It might be hard for Watt to come out on top over someone who hasn’t won the award yet like Parsons or Hutchinson is all three put up similar seasons, but Watt has proven before that he’s the best pass-rusher in football and if he can play like it this season, he might be hard to beat.
