Right now, new Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence owns the best odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, per DraftKings SportsBook (h/t to Patrick Tulini). Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields has the second-best odds. There is a tie in third place between Zach Wilson of the New York Jets and Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers.
At least two of those names are likely to be starters during their upcoming rookie campaigns. Lance may not be. With only 17 games of collegiate experience on his resume, the former North Dakota State quarterback is expected to sit and learn behind veteran Jimmy Garoppolo for at least the 2021 season. That was the reason behind holding onto Garoppolo.
"I want Jimmy to be here, and I want this kid to be brought along," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Thursday. "I want to see how he does. And if it turns into a competition, it turns into a competition. I'd be excited about that, if he showed he was ready for it and stuff."
That could hurt his odds. When he is ready, though, many expect the pairing with Shanahan to result in a lot of future success for the player, offense, and team.
Below are the current betting odds for Offensive Rookie of the Year from DraftKings SportsBook.
- Trevor Lawrence +300
- Justin Fields +500
- Trey Lance +700
- Zach Wilson +700
- Ja'Marr Chase +1100
- Kyle Pitts +1100
All eyes will be on Garoppolo and Lance during training camp. It's not expected to be a battle for now, but it sure would make headlines if it turned into one.
Garoppolo was the first 49ers player to reach out to Lance — via text message — after the young quarterback heard his name called on Thursday night.
"It meant the world to me and my family, especially, that he reached out to me and sent that message," Lance recently told team reporter Keiana Martin. "It was really encouraging for me just to know that we'll be able to have an awesome relationship. And I just told him I'm super excited to learn from him.
"I know he's going to be an awesome mentor, like I said, for me. I'm super excited to just be around him."