The world of professional sport is mostly quiet, at least for now. One of the last major pro sports leagues, the Australian Football League, announced that its season, which had been taking place in empty stadiums, would be suspended. However, there is still plenty of sports betting news, as the free agency season in the National Football League is underway. Two of the biggest moves so far have been the shocking trade of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins by the Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals for tailback David Johnson and the signing of Tom Brady, the icon of the New England Patriots, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. How have these moves changed the NFL Odds each team has to win the Super Bowl? Take a look at some of the biggest changes.
NFL: Early Super Bowl Odds after the Latest Free Agency Moves
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Why the jump? Because Tom Brady has six of the last 20 world championships. It’s not just his presence in Tampa that has the odds jumping. He has a pair of Pro Bowl wide receivers in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. He also has a pair of athletic tight ends in O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. The Buccaneers had one of the better offensive lines in the NFC last year. All of those are upgrades over Brady’s situation in New England last year. Also, the NFC has an easier path to the Super Bowl, because that conference does not have the Chiefs or the Ravens.
But should you bet on Tampa Bay to win it all? Remember all the hype on the Cleveland Browns after they brought in Odell Beckham Jr? They made it all the way to 6/1 because of the avalanche of cash. Cleveland did not even make the playoffs. Also, Bruce Arians has a penchant for long-developing plays for passes down the field, which leads to his quarterbacks getting sacked. Brady got the ball out more quickly than any other quarterback in the NFL last season, so some tension could arise fairly quickly unless the two come to a compromise.
Arizona Cardinals
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray won Offensive Rookie of the Year last year without having a wide receiver of the caliber of DeAndre Hopkins. Kliff Kingsbury’s offense helped the Cardinals get within inches of beating the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers not once, but twice. The NFL draft is set for next month (assuming it doesn’t also fall under the wheels of the coronavirus and get delayed), so take a look at the selections the Cardinals make. With Larry Fitzgerald still in the fold, Murray will have another explosive weapon going down the field. And don’t worry about David Johnson heading to Houston in that trade. Johnson has not played at an elite level since 2017, and running backs almost never have the sort of resurgence he would need in Houston to make this trade close to equitable.
Indianapolis Colts
The reason for this shift is the arrival of Philip Rivers in town to quarterback the Colts. That’s the same Philip Rivers who has led the Chargers, to the frustration of his fan base. He has an explosive arm and can hit huge throws down the field, but he has a disastrous penchant for throwing interceptions at exactly the wrong time for his team. The Colts bring back one of the league’s best offensive lines. Their line was the only unit that had the same starters in all 16 games, and the Colts’ running game was seventh overall last year. Rivers is sixthon the all-time passing list. However, one reason that he has thrown for so many yards is his longevity (16 seasons) and the fact that quarterbacks amass passing yards when their teams are behind. Who led the NFL in passing yards last season? Jameis Winston — who also posted the first 30 touchdown, 30 interception season in league history last year, and is currently looking for a job after Tom Brady showed up. The Colts would have to get through Kansas City and/or Baltimore to get to a Super Bowl, and I don’t see Rivers winning that many clutch games.
