Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is a favorite in the NFL Comeback Player of the Year race.
But he isn’t the favorite.
Green, after missing all of last season, sits in a tough year to bring home the comeback player of the year award thanks to the presence of one massive name — Rob Gronkowski.
At BetMGM, Green is +1000 to win the award. Gronkowski sits at +400, tied with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Gronk seems like the main adversary here given the storylines at play. He quit football, was visibly out of game shape, saw his friend Tom Brady go to Tampa Bay, un-retired and got traded to join him. They figure to be in deep contention for a title.
Which isn’t to say Green is a bad story. He missed all of last season after suffering an injury on the first day of training camp. Now he’s back on a prove-it franchise tag and has a chance to be a mentor to Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins while breathing new life into a struggling franchise.
That might not be attractive enough to win the award, though. And Green will have to fend off others like Tyler Boyd and John Ross for targets.
Either way — it’s clear oddsmakers aren’t sleeping on Green. And at the current odds, he’s not a terrible play, either.
