While T.J. Watt still has good odds of ending the 2025 season as the NFL’s sack leader, his chances aren’t nearly as high as normal. Monday, Bet Online released the best odds to lead the league in quarterback takedowns. Watt finished fourth at 15/2, behind the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett, Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons, and Detroit Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson, who tops the list.
Watt has finished first in sacks three times during his eight-year NFL career. First, in 2020 with 15 followed by his monster 2021 season that saw him tie the NFL single-season record with 22.5. After an injury-plagued 2022, Watt bounced back with 19.5 in 2023. Since being drafted in 2017, Watt is the only player to lead the league in sacks multiple times.
But after a down 2024 by his standards that saw him finish tied for eighth with 11.5 sacks, oddsmakers aren’t making him the favorite. Instead, Hutchinson gets top billing. He’s coming off a broken leg that prevented him from challenging last year’s top mark. Before getting hurt in October, Hutchinson had a league-high 7.5 sacks.
For all his fanfare and accolades, Garrett has yet to lead the NFL in sacks. He’s been remarkably consistent with 12-plus sacks in five-straight seasons but has finished behind at least one other pass rusher every single season. In 2024, his 14 ranked second behind the Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson.
Parsons is in a similar situation. Yet to hold the NFL sack lead his first four years, Parsons has registered double digits every season but failed to post truly gaudy numbers. His career best is 14 sacks in 2023, finishing well behind Watt. Versatility that allows him to move around the defensive front and drop into coverage may limit his rush chances, but the odds don’t grade on a curve.
Hendrickson, last year’s sack leader, has 10/1 odds. He’s currently battling the Bengals in an offseason-long contract dispute. That three of the top names on the list come from the AFC North is indicative of how tough the division is.
The Houston Texans’ Danielle Hunter might be a sneaky name to watch. Though he’s never led the league in sacks, he recorded 16.5 of them in 2023 and 12 in his first season with the Texans last year. If Houston plays with the lead more often in 2025, Hunter could see his numbers spike.
Watt figures to be near or top the list in 2025. His sack numbers are an important number to look at but for now, the number he’s focused on is his contract and getting a deal done before the season starts.
