The Comeback Player of the Year is one of the NFL’s big yearly awards. The contender class for this award will be strong this year. Like most NFL awards though, quarterbacks have an advantage due to the volume. Quarterbacks touch the ball on nearly every NFL offensive snap, making them one of the most important pieces of an NFL team. Although he is a longshot at this point, Jameis Winston has a chance at the 2021 award. Winston has not started an NFL game in over a season but will look to take a big step forward with Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints this upcoming year. If any coach can get the most out of Winston, it is Sean Payton. Look for Jameis Winston to be a strong comeback player of the award contender in 2021.
Jameis Winston Has Real Comeback Player of the Year Potential
There are seven quarterbacks with odds to win this year’s comeback player award on DraftKings Sportsbook. Of these, Jameis Winston has the fifth lowest odds. Winston also ranks 11th overall for all players. There are four quarterbacks and three running backs in front of him. Defensive ends make up the last three in front of Winston. Jameis Winston comes in at +2,000 odds for the comeback player award. This number is based off of a $100 bet. Placing $100 on Winston to win this award will reward $2000 if he does indeed win. For a quarterback on a traditionally offensive powerhouse team, this might be one of the best values on the board.
The Contenders
The favorite to win the Comeback Player of the Year award is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. It is not surprising that Prescott is the favorite after this 2020 season was cut short due to injury. Before his injury, Prescott was putting up top weekly offensive numbers for any team. The Cowboys defense was atrocious last year, leading Prescott to having to throw the ball often. In the five games that Prescott played, he had over 1,800 yards and nine touchdowns. Prescott averaged 371 yards per game over this span. If he had kept this pace up, Prescott would have thrown for over 5,900 yards. The Cowboys spent every pick in the 2021 draft on defense. This could help the Cowboys team overall, but hurt Prescott’s offensive numbers. Further, Prescott playing some of 2020 and putting up great numbers could hinder his case as well. Also, his injury was gruesome but was not thought to be career-threatening in any way. If his numbers dip any this year, he could find himself a longshot at the award.
Another strong candidate for the Comeback Player of the Year is Carson Wentz. Wentz was traded this off-season to the Indianapolis Colts, reuniting with head coach Frank Reich. Reich was the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles for almost all of Wentz’s career. These two reuniting this off-season is sure to spark Wentz. Wentz will also be trying to erase a dreadful 2020 campaign which saw him benched for Jalen Hurts. The Eagles finished last season with four wins, also leading to the dismissal of then head coach Doug Pederson. Carson Wentz goes into 2021 with a familiar offense, including a top-ranked offensive line. If the Colts can get some semblance of the 2017 Wentz, he will easily be a heavy favorite for the comeback player award.
Jameis Winston Comeback Player Case
Jameis Winston is one of the few players on this list who is not coming back from some kind of injury. Winston took less money last year to sit behind future Hall of Famer Drew Brees in order to learn more about playing quarterback in the NFL. There might not be a better duo to learn offense from in the NFL then Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Voluntarily taking himself off the field could play into Winston’s case should be play well in 2021. Jameis Winston still has to win the quarterback job from Taysom Hill, but this competition is likely to drive Winston even harder during training camp and the pre-season.
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Let’s not forget that Jameis Winston has the talent to be a starting caliber quarterback in the NFL. Winston is still only one of a handful of players to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single NFL season. He accomplished this in his only year with Bruce Arians after throwing the ball over 600 times. Winston has had incredibly mediocre offensive coaching in his career before Arians. Dirk Koetter was Winston’s offensive coordinator his rookie season and head coach in the following three. Since leaving Winston’s original team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in 2018, Koetter has not been back in the NFL. Even with this instability, Winston still averaged over 260 yards per game and over a 60% completion percentage.
Comeback Player of the Year
At +2,000, the odds for Jameis Winston are at a good place to look at for future bets. If Winston wins the starting quarterback job over Taysom Hill, these odds could get worse before the regular season begins. Under the tutelage of Sean Payton and Drew Brees, Winston’s quarterback game will likely elevate to the highest level ever seen in the NFL. The Saints have shown that they can win without Drew Brees with all of their weapons on offense. Winston will not shoulder this Saints offense alone. Record setters like Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara are sure to help Winston’s campaign as well. Now might be the time to capitalize on the longshot odds of Jameis Winston to win this years NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
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