The winner of the Associated Press (AP) NFL Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2025-2026 season will be officially announced at the 15th Annual NFL Honors on Thursday, February 5, 2026. Myles Garrett, defensive end for the Cleveland Browns, is the heavy DPOY odds betting favorite and has already secured several major "Defensive Player of the Year" honors from other organizations for his record-breaking 2025 campaign. Other finalists include Will Anderson Jr, Micah Parsons, Aidan Hutchinson, and Nik Bonitto.
What Is the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award?
The Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) is the most prestigious individual honor awarded to a defensive player in the National Football League. Established in 1971, it is recognized by the NFL as the official defensive award and is presented annually at the NFL Honors ceremony during Super Bowl week. While other organizations (such as the PFWA and Sporting News) issue their own versions, the AP award is the historical standard for Hall of Fame consideration.
The Panel consists of 50 media members (sportswriters and broadcasters) selected by the Associated Press who regularly cover the NFL. Since 2022, the Voting Method has been a ranked-choice system. Voters list their top 5 candidates (weighted 5-3-1 points). This system was designed to reduce ties and better reflect consensus. As for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds Announcement, winners are kept secret until the NFL Honors live broadcast, typically held on the Thursday before the Super Bowl.
Current NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds
As of now, most major sportsbooks have suspended betting for the Defensive Player of the Year award. The race is effectively considered decided, with Myles Garrett closing as one of the heaviest favorites in award history. Below are the final closing DPOY betting odds posted by major books before the markets were taken down.
- Myles Garrett – Cleveland Browns -50000
- All Other Players +17500 or Higher
How NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds Are Calculated
NFL award odds are not a purely calculated measure of ability; they are a prediction of how the 50 Associated Press voters will vote. Oddsmakers begin with a statistical model but aggressively adjust the lines based on public betting flow and media narratives. If too much money is bet on one player, the sportsbook shifts the odds to make that player "more expensive" to back, protecting the house from a massive loss.
Statistical Performance is a major factor. Before the season, models project stats (sacks, interceptions). In-season, these are updated weekly. For DPOY, metrics like Sacks, Pass Rush Win Rate, and EPA (Expected Points Added) are heavily weighted.
Narrative is another significant factor. Unlike game scores, awards are subjective. Oddsmakers monitor which players are becoming "media darlings." A player with a compelling story often gets shorter odds than their raw stats would justify because bookmakers know voters love a story.
NFL Defensive Player of the Year Winners & Patterns
The NFL Defensive Player of the Year Rankings blueprint for winning the award is remarkably consistent: voters overwhelmingly favor elite pass rushers on playoff-bound teams. While the award theoretically covers all defensive positions, the modern voting pattern has narrowed to a specific archetype: a defensive end or outside linebacker who records 15+ sacks and plays for a top-seeded defense. Exceptions exist—such as shutdown cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore or Patrick Surtain II—but they are statistically rare and usually require a historic individual campaign combined with a "down year" for pass rushers.
Top Candidates for NFL Defensive Player of the Year This Season
The field for the 2025-26 NFL Defensive Player of the Year has been officially narrowed to five DPOY candidates NFL, finalists by the Associated Press. While the winner will not be announced until February 5, 2026, the candidates' statistical profiles make it clear why they were selected. The race is headlined by Myles Garrett, whose historic season makes him the overwhelming favorite. Still, the other four finalists produced elite campaigns that would be winning arguments in almost any other year.
Myles Garrett
During the 2025 NFL regular season, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett delivered one of the most dominant individual performances in league history, breaking the all-time single-season sack record with 23.0 sacks. He surpassed the previous record of 22.5 sacks held by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021) by taking down Joe Burrow in the final game of the season on January 4, 2026.
Garrett is the heavy favorite to win his second AP Defensive Player of the Year award at the NFL Honors ceremony on February 5, 2026, where he has closing betting odds as high as -50000. He leads all other DPOY candidates NFL by a wide margin.
As of February 2, 2026, Garrett has already secured several prestigious honors for his 2025 performance. Those include:
- AP First Team All-Pro: Earned his fifth career selection to the first team.
- PFWA Defensive Player of the Year: Voted as the league's top defender by the Pro Football Writers of America.
- The Sporting News DPOY: Voted by his peers as the top defensive player for the third consecutive year.
- PFF Dwight Stephenson Award: Named by Pro Football Focus as the best player in the NFL regardless of position.
- Pro Bowl Selection: Named a starter for the seventh time in his career, though he has opted not to participate in the games to focus on the awards ceremony.
Additionally, Garrett had several historic milestones reached in 2025. Those include:
- Youngest to 100 Sacks: Garrett became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 100 career sacks during the 2025 season.
- Consistent Dominance: He is the first player in NFL history to record at least 14 sacks in four consecutive seasons.
- Single-Game Peak: He recorded a season-high 5.0 sacks in a single game against the New England Patriots in Week 8.
Will Anderson Jr.
Will Anderson Jr. is a star defensive end for the Houston Texans who has established himself as one of the premier defenders in the NFL by the start of 2026. Coming off a dominant 2025 campaign, he was named a finalist for the 2025-26 NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award alongside Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons. Anderson anchored a Texans defense that ranked among the league's best in yards and points allowed.
Anderson compiled several notable achievements in 2025.
- Regular Season Stats: Recorded 12.0 sacks, 54 total tackles, and 20 tackles for loss (TFL) across 17 games.
- Elite Pressure: Generated 85–93 quarterback pressures (ranking among the top 3 in the NFL) and led the league with a 26.2% pass-rush win rate.
- Postseason Impact: Added 3.5 sacks in two playoff games before the New England Patriots eliminated the Texans in the Divisional Round.
- Accolades: Named a Pro Bowl starter for the first time (his second overall selection) and earned PFWA All-NFL honors for the 2025 season.
Best Value Picks Based on Current Odds
When it comes to who will win the Defensive Player of the Year NFL, the question comes down to value. Myles Garrett is an almost certain winner. But he is ridiculously expensive. For those who want to take a long shot, there are some quality alternatives, but remember, they are highly unlikely to win.
Here is a Value Analysis of Top candidates:
- Myles Garrett (CLE). Garrett is widely considered the only viable "best bet," though his extremely short odds of -50,000 (requiring a $500 wager to win $1) offered no practical betting value for most users by season's end. Beyond his sack record, he also led the league in tackles for loss (33) and was voted DPOY by The Sporting News and the PFWA.
- Will Anderson Jr. and Micah Parsons were named as official finalists for the award; their odds remained at extreme longshot levels (+17,500 or higher) because no other defender matched Garrett's historic statistical production.
When to Bet NFL Defensive Player of the Year
The optimal time to bet on NFL awards generally falls into two windows: the early preseason (July–August) for high-value long shots and the mid-season midpoint (Weeks 9–11) once narratives stabilize but before favorites become prohibitive.
For the 2025-26 season, betting markets for major awards such as MVP and DPOY are closed at most sportsbooks, as the regular season has concluded. The winners will be officially announced at the NFL Honors on Thursday, February 5, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, a player does not need to make the playoffs to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award. The award is strictly a regular-season honor, and voting by the 50-person Associated Press panel is completed before the playoffs begin.
