How Cam Newton Joining Patriots Impacts New England’s Super Bowl Odds
The public perception surrounding the Patriots changed Sunday night when New England reportedly agreed to a one-year, incentive-laden contract with quarterback Cam Newton.
The sportsbooks clearly took note.
The Patriots’ odds to win Super Bowl LV jumped in wake of the Newton news, as did New England’s odds of securing its 12th consecutive AFC East title.
Here were the Patriots’ updated futures odds, per Bovada, as of Tuesday afternoon:
To win Super Bowl 55:
Before +2500
Now +1200
To win the AFC:
Before +1200
Now +700
To win the AFC East:
Before +150
Now +110
To make the playoffs:
Before -160
Now -230
These adjustments to the betting lines obviously make sense. While it’s difficult to determine whether the Patriots actually are that much better with Newton at quarterback, as opposed to either Jarrett Stidham or Brian Hoyer, they sure seem much better on paper. And that’ll almost certainly lead to an uptick in wagers placed on New England ahead of the 2020 season.
The Patriots now are tied with the New Orleans Saints (+1200) on the Super Bowl odds, trailing only the Kansas City Chiefs (+650), Baltimore Ravens (+700), San Francisco 49ers (+900) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1000).
Newton was limited to just two games in 2019, and injuries over the past few seasons hampered his performance with the Carolina Panthers. He’s joining a fascinating situation as Tom Brady’s expected successor, though, and many Patriots fans understandably are fired up given his track record as a former NFL MVP and his potential to succeed in New England’s offense under Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels.
