Is Sean Payton the early favorite to win Coach of the Year?

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Is Broncos' Sean Payton the early favorite to win Coach of the Year?

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 8/30/23

It's never too early to speculate on NFL season awards as long as sportsbooks have odds posted, and the odds for Coach of the Year over at DraftKings may surprise you.

A lot of the NFL offseason hype coaching-wise has surrounded Sean Payton's return to the gridiron. The Super Bowl Super Bowl XLIV-winning play-caller has now joined forces with Russell Wilson, and it is highly anticipated that he will turn things around for the Denver Broncos, who went 5-12 last season.

Naturally, that makes Payton one of the favorites to win Coach of the Year honors in 2023, but is he the top favorite in the DK odds?

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DK lists Payton at +900 odds (or 9-1) to win NFL Coach of the Year in 2023, but he isn't the favorite on this list one week away from season kickoff. That honor currently belongs to Dan Campbell, who is listed at +850 (17-2).

It's no huge shock that Campbell is the early favorite here. He took the Detroit Lions from a 3-13-1 team in 2021 to one that went 9-8 in 2022 and barely missed the playoffs. With the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears entering new phases, the Lions look poised to combat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North and maybe make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Speaking of the NFC North, Bears coach Matt Eberflus is the next favorite to win Coach of the Year behind Payton at +1100 (11-1) odds. There are high expectations for Chicago to turn things around this year much like Detroit did last year, and the hype around Justin Fields is surely helping fuel that.

Arthur Smith is expected to do something similar with the Atlanta Falcons and round out the list of favorites at +1400 (14-1) odds.

Week 1 of the NFL season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 7.

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