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Morning Coffee: Parsons a popular pick to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year
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The Philadelphia Eagles are about to do something that hasn’t been done in two decades.
The NFC East has not had a repeat champion since 2004.
Nightmare fuel for the hardcore Martingale strategist.
For the last 20 years, it would have been a mistake to bet the reigning NFC East champion to repeat as the division winner the following season.
What are the odds that changes this season?
The Eagles are -140 to win the NFC East at FanDuel.
That number suggests a 58.3 per cent implied probability that Philadelphia repeats as the division champions.
Considering the rest of the NFC East looks shakier than a Jenga tower in a windstorm, I’ll take my chances and bet the defending Super Bowl champs to end the drought.
Seriously, the NFC East is peak chaos right now outside of Philadelphia.
The best players in Dallas and Washington are already running for the exits.
Micah Parsons is the favourite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year at FanDuel.
Apparently, he personally delivered his trade request to the Dallas Cowboys ownership last week.
Sure, Parsons and the Cowboys could reach an extension that keeps the DPOY favourite in Dallas, but will it be enough to contend for an NFC East title?
Meanwhile, Terry McLaurin unlocked the 2024 NFL Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and helped the Washington Commanders reach the NFL Divisional Playoff, but it wasn’t enough to get a new deal done with one year remaining on his current contract.
Now, McLaurin has requested a trade out of Washington and the Commanders are staring down the prospect of opening the season with 29-year-old Deebo Samuel as their No. 1 wide receiver.
Then there’s the New York Giants, which rank among the top choices to finish with the NFL’s worst regular season record at FanDuel thanks in part to the toughest strength of schedule in the entire league.
Who is betting on Russell Wilson and the G-Men to make the playoffs at FanDuel?
A lot can change between now and Week 1, but all signs point towards Jalen Hurts and the Eagles ultimately being crowned the first repeat NFC East winners since 2004.
Give me the birds to win the division at -140.
I can also bet a three-leg futures parlay with Philly, the Buffalo Bills, and the Kansas City Chiefs to win their respective divisions at +395 at FanDuel this morning.
Which of those Super Bowl contenders lets me down?
I’ll lock in that futures parlay now before Howie Roseman finds a way to get Parsons to Philadelphia the same way he managed to steal Saquon Barkley from the Giants.
I’m kidding, but the latest trade requests around the NFC East have inspired me to buy some Eagles stock at FanDuel for the 2025 NFL season.
This is Morning Coffee for Monday August 5th, 2025.
Parsons A Popular Pick To Win NFL Defensive Player of the Year
I’m not interested in getting too ahead of myself here.
Nobody will be surprised if Parsons ultimately lines up for the Cowboys against the Eagles on NFL Opening Night.
The summer soap operas have become a recurring theme during the NFL pre-season in recent years.
The explosion of social media has only amplified the annual contract disputes in Dallas.
In 2019, the Cowboys didn’t reach a contract extension with running back Ezekiel Elliott until September 4th.
Four years later, guard Zack Martin held out until the team reworked his contract on August 14th.
Last year, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb held out until he agreed to a contract extension with Dallas on August 26th.
It wasn’t until September 8th that the Cowboys agreed to a contract extension with quarterback Dak Prescott just hours before their season opener.
Dallas beat the Cleveland Browns 33-17 that same day.
Dak went 19-of-32 for 179 yards and a touchdown.
It was the Cowboys defence and special teams that led the way in that victory, registering six sacks, two interceptions, and a 60-yard punt return touchdown.
Parsons recorded one sack, one tackle for a loss, and four total tackles in the win.
He also set up this interception by Eric Kendricks.
However, Dallas would lose five of its next seven games including a Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in which Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury.
The Cowboys would miss the playoffs again at 7-10.
Mike McCarthy was fired as head coach.
Mike Zimmer was fired as defensive coordinator.
Owner Jerry Jones promoted Brian Schottenheimer from offensive coordinator to head coach, brought in former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator, and traded for wide receiver George Pickens as part of an offseason overhaul of the coaching staff and the roster.
You could put a positive spin on a lot of what the Cowboys did this offseason.
Unfortunately, any optimism surrounding the franchise would be completely wiped out if Parsons isn’t back.
Parsons is only the second player in NFL history to record at least 12 sacks in each of his first four seasons.
The 26-year-old leads the NFL in pass rush win rate and pressure percentage since he entered the league in 2021.
His 52.5 sacks over that four-year period are more than the combined total of the next three closest Cowboys.
Of course, Dallas could sign Parsons to an extension at any point in the coming days and nobody would be surprised.
It’s the fact that the Cowboys waited this long to get a deal done for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year that has their fans wondering why the same soap opera has been on repeat in each of the last two summers.
Jones waited to sign Prescott and Lamb to extensions and ended up paying a premium after the quarterback and wide receiver markets both climbed last summer.
What will it take to get a deal done with Parsons?
A month ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers made T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history with a three-year, $123 million contract extension.
I’d bet on Parsons demanding Dallas go north of that number to get a deal done.
I’d also bet that the Cowboys would have paid less money – with fewer distractions – if they were more proactive in their approach to getting deals done with Prescott, Lamb, and Parsons.
Parsons to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year is +600.
Per the FanDuel traders, nearly 25 per cent of all the Defensive Player of the Year bets have been on Parsons.
Dallas is +190 to make the playoffs at FanDuel.
Per the FanDuel traders, 82 per cent of all bets are on the Cowboys to go over 7.5 regular seasons wins.
Are you buying Dallas as an eight or nine-win team?
Hit me up at @Domenic_Padula on X and let me know whether you think the Cowboys can contend in the NFC.
In the meantime, I’m betting on the Eagles.
Have a great day, everyone!