Lamar Jackson may be the sportsbooks' favorite to win his third Most Valuable Player award headed into the 2025 NFL season, but the betting public is instead backing his AFC North rival in droves.
The Baltimore Ravens quarterback shows +450 odds to win MVP this season, according to ESPN BET odds, with Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen tied for second at +600.
Burrow is easily pacing the betting action across the sportsbook marketplace. The 2020 No. 1 draft pick, who has been brilliant when healthy during his five NFL seasons, is the tickets leader at all major American sportsbooks and is the handle leader at most, topping out with 30% of the money share at DraftKings. ESPN BET has Jackson as its handle leader at 37.1% after taking a $50,000 wager on him to win MVP in mid-August.
What has held Burrow back in the past, and could this season, according to bookmakers, is the team around him.
"I think what hurts Joe Burrow in this MVP conversation, same thing with last year, is his defense going to be able to put them in a position where they can be a competitor for the Super Bowl?" Caesars Sportsbook football lead Joey Feazel told ESPN. "You're the best player on one of the best teams, is usually what the MVP is going for."
Feazel also said it will be tougher for reigning MVP Allen to win the award again due to "voter fatigue," and he has not been as popular a selection among the betting public.
Outside of the top three, there has been plenty of action and movement surrounding many of the other big (mostly quarterback) names across the league. Two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes, for example, is a top-three choice by tickets and money at DraftKings and ESPN BET. Since opening night, his odds lengthened slightly from +650 to +750, while Justin Herbert saw his odds shorten from +2000 to +1600 on Friday night, all the way down to +1300 by Sunday morning after his brilliant performance in the Los Angeles Chargers' win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil.
"I think betting on the NFL MVP is more popular than the MVP in other leagues simply because people are willing to bet a bunch of different guys in the NFL, whereas not so much in other leagues like MLB and NBA," DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello told ESPN. "Yes, they're betting Burrow this year, but they're also betting [J.J.] McCarthy, [Michael] Penix [Jr.] and [Travis] Hunter." The two-way Jacksonville Jaguars rookie ranks in the top 10 for the sportsbook's handle.
Another name to follow this season is reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, who got a lot of attention after leading the upstart Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship Game last season. Despite that, he has seen his odds drift from +700 in early May to +900 in early September, and they now sit at +1000, according to ESPN BET lines.
"Jayden Daniels was another one that people were betting early, but I think that was just remembering how explosive and how good the Commanders were as of late last year," said Feazel. "We opened this one up relatively quickly and that usually is when people still have that football bug and then they're betting what they remember last year. So not as much Jayden Daniels lately."
Other longer shots receiving action include Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (+1400), Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love (+1600) and Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams (+3000).
ESPN sports betting writer David Purdum contributed to this report.