2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds: Best Bets, Favorites, and Long Shots
After months of speculation that he would have his name called first, QB Cam Ward was selected with the No. 1 pick by the Tennessee Titans - but it's not the Miami product who leads the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds.
The favorite to take home NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors is Las Vegas Raiders sixth overall pick Ashton Jeanty. However, the award hasn't gone to a running back since 2018, so is he really the best player to target in this market at our best sports betting sites?
🥇 Who will win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year?
Our live NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds update in real time.
👑 Who is the favorite to win 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year?
🏴☠️ Ashton Jeanty, RB, Raiders (+300)
- Projected stat line: 1,210 rushing yards, 430 receiving yards, 12 total touchdowns
Given the season Jeanty just had at Boise State, and his landing spot with the Raiders, it's not a shock to see him as the favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He put up astronomical numbers for the Broncos - leading the country in rushing yards (2,595), rushing yards after contact (1,970), and forced missed tackles (152), per PFF - while carrying Boise State to the College Football Playoff.
He's a worthy favorite on this Raiders team playing with a top-12 QB in Geno Smith and behind an offensive line that has enough talent to be middle of the pack in the NFL. Plus, Jeanty is one of the most talented pass-catching backs to enter the league in recent memory - two years ago, he led all backs in receiving yards (578), yards per route run (3.19), and NFL QB rating when targeted (151.6).
But this award hasn't gone to running backs lately, with a QB or wide receiver taking it home in each of the last six seasons - Saquon Barkley was the last running back to win it - and it hasn't been for a lack of first-round picks at the position. Over that six-year span, six running backs have gone in the first round, and of those six, only Josh Jacobs finished in the top three in voting for OROY.
Jeanty is going to put up big-time numbers for the Raiders; nobody doubts that. But is he really going to beat out a QB who was taken with the No. 1 pick and a wide receiver coming off a Heisman-winning season? With these odds paying just a $30 profit on a $10 bet, Jeanty isn't a great value.
Best odds: +300 via Caesars | Implied probability: 25%
Caesars is a 21+ product
💰 Best bet to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
🐆 Travis Hunter, WR, Jaguars (+800)
- Projected stat line: 84 receptions, 1,190 receiving yard, nine receiving TDs
The last two winners of this award have been quarterbacks, which is why Ward has a strong case to be the favorite, with the voters likely to favor a solid rookie debut from him over a good one from Jeanty or Hunter.
But Ward is also in the toughest situation of the three, playing behind an O-line that needs to mesh quickly and with a pass-catching room that's a mix of underachieving/aging veterans and unproven rookies.
That's why Hunter is the smartest bet of the three at our best sports betting apps - receivers have won OROY in two of the last four years. He enters an offense where he's the go-to receiver from Day 1 with a quarterback that's proven to have Pro Bowl ability when he's at his best.
This new regime paid a hefty price to trade up for Hunter, which says general manager James Gladstone sees him as a truly special difference-maker and head coach Liam Coen will want to get the most out of him immediately.
Even though Hunter is in a smaller market than Jeanty and plays a less important position than Ward, he's the face of this rookie class as he comes off his Heisman season at Colorado and attempts to play both ways in the NFL. And there's a reasonable shot he's an instant impact player on both sides after averaging 2.51 yards per route run with 11 contested catches on offense while allowing just a 39.9 NFL QB rating on defense last season.
There's no way to stop an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voter from putting Hunter first on their ballot as a way to recognize the fact that he's attempting to do something the modern NFL has never seen. So even if he has less impressive numbers than Jeanty and Ward, I think the voters would give him a slight bump for playing on both sides of the ball - even if this is just an offensive award.
Best odds: +800 via Caesars | Implied probability: 11.11%
🎯 Best long shot for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
⚒️ Kaleb Johnson, RB, Steelers (+3500)
- Projected stat line: 1,050 rushing yards, 180 receiving yards, 10 total TDs
This award has gone to a first-round pick in seven straight seasons, making it difficult to find a long-shot option that even has a slight chance at winning.
Trying to find a player with longer than +2500 odds that could win the award is difficult, and I'm just not buying Cleveland Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders as a realistic option - although the last non-first-round QB to win OROY was Dak Prescott, a fellow Day 3 pick.
The best course of action for finding a long-shot bet is to target one of the many talented Day 2 running backs and to bet on the one whose situation you like most. Although Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson are considered higher-end talents than Johnson, the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots have more crowded backfields than the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Johnson is also a perfect fit for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who loves to rely on a wide zone scheme. At Iowa, 191 of Johnson's rushing attempts came on zone runs vs. just 48 on gap runs, and he was ultra-impactful. The consensus All-American was fifth in the country in rushing yards after contact (1,060) and third in 15-plus-yard runs (28).
While Jaylen Warren could steal touches from Johnson early, the former Hawkeye is clearly a more explosive back and the future of the Steelers' running back room under Smith. If he can be the first non-first-round running back since Alvin Kamara to win OROY, a $10 bet pays a $350 profit.
Denver Broncos rookie RJ Harvey is also an enticing long shot at +3500 with his pass-catching upside and big-play ability being a perfect fit under Sean Payton.
Best odds: +3500 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 2.78%
Terms and conditions apply.
🤖 AI prediction: Who will win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year?
For entertainment purposes, we asked ChatGPT to analyze NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year trends and landing spots for this rookie class to project this year's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Our AI prediction projects that Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward will win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
🖥️ AI prediction: Cam Ward to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
🏈 Immediate starting role: The Titans selected Cam Ward No. 1 overall, signaling he'll start from Day 1 and rookie quarterbacks with full-season starting jobs dominate OROY voting historically.
🏈 Offensive setup: Ward will likely have decent protection and a run-first offense to support his adjustment period, and a manageable offensive system could maximize his arm talent and athleticism.
🏈 Narrative and visibility: No. 1 pick quarterbacks tend to attract media attention and awards buzz early and if Ward flashes improvement (even on a rebuilding Titans team), the OROY narrative will build strongly around him.
🤔 Betting takeaway: ChatGPT's AI prediction would mean No. 1 pick Cam Ward winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (+400). ChatGPT is a large language model and not specifically designed for predicting sporting events, so these projections should be viewed as entertainment or a supplementary data point for your NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year betting research.
🏟️ NFL betting odds pages
💵 Best NFL betting sites
Ready to bet on the NFL this season? Check out our best NFL betting sites and the best sportsbook promos for the NFL season:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUSDYW
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS
- FanDuel Promo Code
- DraftKings Promo Code
- Hard Rock Bet Promo Code
- Fanatics Sportsbook Promo Code
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission.
Related Articles
