The NFL future markets are absolutely fascinating to follow.
Betting odds are posted up to six months before a new season starts and bettors fire wagers that shape the markets by September. Many moons ago, you could only bet on which team would win the next Super Bowl or represent the AFC or NFC. The cereal aisle is much more full in the present day with markets like MVP, Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year to name a few.
The best part about futures is that prices are rapidly changing throughout the season. For example, the Cincinnati Bengals opened as high as 200-1 to win last year’s Super Bowl. Those odds dropped precipitously over the coming months as Cincy morphed into a legit contender with Joe Burrow and Friends. Betting futures is a roller coaster ride because prices rise and fall when a player’s or team’s perception improves or decreases.
Here are three NFL futures that are worth a gander before next Thursday’s opener at SoFi Stadium:
Justin Jefferson to win Offensive Player of the Year (+1400)
This price has come down a little bit over the last few weeks because of all the hype around the Minnesota Vikings. And it makes sense. Jefferson has been very vocal about how excited he is to play in new head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense with all the freedom and space. The former LSU star finished second in receiving yards last year and should be even more explosive in a modern system. Don’t be surprised if Jefferson goes toe-for-toe with Cooper Kupp.
Philadelphia Eagles to win NFC East (+150)
I’m finally coming around on Philadelphia being legit. It was easy to look at the A.J. Brown acquisition on NFL draft night and overreact, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about this Eagles offense from multiple sources. Brown, Miles Sanders and DeVonta Smith are an incredible mix of size, skill and speed that trumps all the other skill rooms in a pretty bad division. If Jalen Hurts takes another step and builds on his 26-touchdown season from a year ago, look out.
Baltimore Ravens to win AFC (+1000)
Buffalo is the obvious favorite, Kansas City has the postseason moxie and Los Angeles is everybody’s dark horse. But don’t sleep on Baltimore with perennial MVP candidate Lamar Jackson under center. In a league full of 4,000-yard passers, the Ravens continue to zig while the others zag. Their run-first approach centered around a speedy quarterback will give teams fits and the Ravens have boasted a Top-10 defense in six of the last seven years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
