WVU Great Geno Smith Headlines Odds for NFL Comeback Player of the Year

With the season winding down, oddsmakers are predicting which player has the best chance to win the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is on a a short list that includes Giants running back Saquon Barkley as the other favorite. Smith and Barkley are now neck and neck for the honor, separating themselves from the rest.

Both Smith and Barkley are at +175 odds to win the award, according to the DraftKings Sportsbook. Christian McCaffrey and Jared Goff are much longer shot candidates behind at +250 and +800, respectively.

As far as the West Virginia product’s case, Smith has 3,886 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, only 9 interceptions and a completion percentage at 70.7% through Week 16. This is all after having not been a full-time NFL starting quarterback since 2014. Smith was even in the NFL MVP conversation at one point in the season before tailing off a bit in recent weeks.

Barkley could be the benefactor of Smith’s elite play dipping. The running back out of Penn State has rushed for 1,254 yards and scores 10 touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. This is Barkley’s first 1,000 plus-yard season in three years, having spent each of the past two season injured. His single season career high stands at 1,307 from his rookie season in 2018, which is very much in reach with two games left.