Sportsbooks were prepared for the possibility of the Denver Broncos becoming a Super Bowl favorite, contingent upon them acquiring Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, though, reportedly will sign an extension with the Green Bay Packers.
Instead, the Broncos reportedly landed Russell Wilson, so it all worked out in the end. That said, it didn’t take long for reports of Tuesday’s blockbuster trade between Denver and the Seattle Seahawks to affect the betting market.
Books wasted no time in adjusting Super Bowl and conference prices for the Broncos after reports of an agreement between Denver and Seattle. Wilson, a Super Bowl winner already, should be the missing piece for a Broncos team that looks very close to contending for a title.
DraftKings Sportsbook now has the Broncos at 12-1 to win Super Bowl LVII next season, and Denver now is just +750 to win the conference. Only four teams have shorter Super Bowl odds than the Broncos, and they trail just the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC market.
The biggest problem for Denver, however, might be getting out of its own division. The Chiefs still are -115 favorites to win the AFC West, and the Broncos (+250) are the second-favorite ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers (+425) and Las Vegas Raiders (+850).
Denver’s splash adds further to the notion that the AFC is simply loaded. Look at the top of the conference (to win AFC odds listed):
Chiefs +350
Bills +350
Broncos +750
Bengals +900
Chargers +1000
Ravens +1000
Titans +1100
Colts +1400
Patriots +1600
Just two weeks ago, the Broncos were 22-1 to win the Super Bowl and 11-1 to win the AFC. Those odds were inflated even then given the speculation surrounding the potential of Rodgers to Denver. Had the Broncos struck out on acquiring one of the superstar signal-callers, they’d go tumbling down the odds board. Really savvy (or lucky) bettors had a small, two-hour window or so where they could have cashed in if sportsbooks quickly adjusted the Broncos’ number on the news they wouldn’t be acquiring Rodgers.
To say things change fast in the NFL and in sports betting would be an understatement.
