The race to top the NFL’s sack leaderboard in 2026 starts with a name that just made history.
Myles Garrett set the single-season record in 2025 with 23 sacks, blowing past the previous mark of 22.5 shared by T.J. Watt in 2021 and Michael Strahan in 2001.
It was the most sacks any player had produced in a season since the stat became official in 1982. Then Garrett changed teams, getting traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason.
That move only sharpened the spotlight on him. Garrett, a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time Pro Bowler, now lands on a team that was one win shy of the Super Bowl. Unsurprisingly, DraftKings has him as the betting favorite to lead the league again at +250.
Aidan Hutchinson is next on the board at 5/1 (+500). His 2024 season was cut short after just five games because of a leg fracture, despite producing 7.5 sacks in that span. He answered with a 14.5-sack season for the Lions in 2025, finished top-five in Defensive Player of the Year voting and ended up runner-up for Comeback Player of the Year.
The group just behind him includes Danielle Hunter (Texans), Trey Hendrickson (Ravens) and Will Anderson Jr. (Texans) at 6/1 (+600). Nik Bonitto of the Broncos and Micah Parsons of the Packers are listed at 14/1 (+1400), followed by Maxx Crosby of the Raiders at 15/1 (+1500), Brian Burns of the Giants at 18/1 (+1800), Nick Bosa of the 49ers at 20/1 (+2000), and Josh Hines-Allen of the Jaguars and Tuli Tuipulotu of the Chargers at 25/1 (+2500).
Parsons would likely sit higher if not for his current situation. He’s on the physically unable to perform list and is expected to miss at least the first month of the regular season while recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus tear suffered last December.
Still, the pick here goes in a different direction.
Will Anderson Jr. is the prediction to lead the NFL in sacks in 2026. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season, falling behind Garrett’s record-setting run, and his production has climbed every year since he won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. With Danielle Hunter lining up on the other side, Anderson should keep getting the kind of opportunities that turn elite rushers into league leaders.
Prediction: Will Anderson Jr. (+600) leads the NFL with 18 sacks in 2026
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For the Rams, that matters because the opener had looked like it might come without one of the leagues most difficult matchup problems at tight end. San Francisco also cut Brayden Willis, a move that only adds to the sense that Kittle is trending toward being available when the teams line up, and it gives Los Angeles one more thing to account for as the season gets underway. [Read more 🡒]