We’re still almost four months away from the start of the 2021 NFL season, but with complete regular-season schedules already released, it’s time to start taking a look at some of the most interesting futures wagers. Division titles, win-loss totals, the Super Bowl champion and even some exotic prop bets may grab your sports betting attention.
Take a look at our thoughts on six NFL wagers of interest.
NFL News: Six Most Intriguing Bets for the 2021 Season
Where will Aaron Rodgers play next year?
The animus between Green Bay’s star quarterback and general manager Brian Gutekunst has done nothing but build over the last two seasons. Rodgers has guided the Pack to two straight NFC Championships, falling in a rout in San Francisco and then getting edged at home by Tampa Bay in a game in which Rodgers called out his head coach for taking the ball out of his hands to kick a field goal in a situation where a touchdown would have brought Green Bay even with the Bucs. The fact that the Packers’ front office has not done much to bring in top wide receiver talent alongside Davante Adams but instead brought in Jordan Love as a new quarterback in the 2020 draft also raised Rodgers’ ire. He has asked for a trade…but will the Packers oblige him? Here are the odds for where Rodgers will play next season.
| Green Bay -125 | |
| Denver | +200 |
| Las Vegas | +500 |
| New Orleans | +900 |
| Carolina | +1000 |
| Miami, Washington Football Team | +1400 |
| San Francisco | +1600 |
Obviously, the fan base will agitate for Rodgers to return, but the Broncos appear to have the inside track, on the basis of what Rodgers is said to prefer. New Orleans is a tantalizing option, given the weapons he would have around him, and the fact that he would play Tom Brady twice next year. Carolina seems like a bit of a rebuild for Rocgers’ liking, but Miami and Washington both are teams on the rise. San Francisco already has Jimmy G and seems like they would go younger instead of bringing in Rodgers.
Final Pick: Green Bay
Washington Football Team to win the NFC East
Jalen Hurts and Daniel Jones are the projected starting quarterbacks for the Eagles and the Giants. Dak Prescott is back at quarterback for Dallas, but while the Cowboys went all-in on defense in the draft, all of that youth will combine to have a mammoth learning curve, and that unit was worst in the NFL and in Cowboys team history last year. The Cowboys did add Dan Quinn at defensive coordinator, but I see that taking some time to work. The Football Team brought in Ryan Fitzpatrick to lead an offense that has talent and already has a stout defense.
Washington Football Team to win more than 8 games
See above.
Cleveland Browns to win the AFC North
This might be the most exciting division in the NFL. Joe Burrow returns to lead the Cincinnati offense, and he and the Bengals pushed the Browns hard last year. Lamar Jackson returns to lead a Baltimore offense that is dynamic…as long as they can run the ball a lot. The defense is stiff. The Steelers get a Ben Roethlisberger back who is a year older. The Browns added three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to bolster the pass rush, brought in Northwestern DB Greg Newsome II with the 26th pick of the first round, a player with the skill set to come in and start as a shutdown corner, and they added safety Joe Johnson II via free agency. He has been one of the top safeties in the NFL since 2021. Those additions on defense make the Browns — who already featured an explosive offense — an elite contender this season.
Minnesota Vikings to win more than 8 ½ games
Yes, the Vikings went 7-9 last year, and the real issue was their defense, as they gave up at least 26 points in each of their last seven games to close out 2020. They went 3-4 in those games. However, they fired their special teams coordinator after a dreadful performance last year, with Dan Bailey missing way too many field goals in a season that seemed to come down to the last possession week in and week out. They also bolstered their O-line, which means that Kirk Cousins won’t be running for his life every week. On defense, they added DT Dalvin Tomlinson, who will join Michael Pierce in the interior D-line and help the run defense. They got cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander, along with safety Xavier Woods to help a pass defense that was unsightly because of youth and inexperience a year ago. Those factors, along with a regression in Detroit and the possible departure of Aaron Rodgers, have me going “over” with the Vikings.
Buffalo Bills to win the AFC East AND win more than 10 ½ games
Matt Milano, Daryl Williams and Jon Feliciano are three key starters that the Bills brought back, signing them to multi-year contracts. They added Emmanuel Sanders, Jacob Hollister, Matt Breida and Efe Obada. They could all start or at least provide depth. That set them up for the draft without any major holes, and it meant that the defense would be even better in 2021…in a division that has two rebuilding teams (New England and the Jets) and a team that won a lot of games last year thanks to Ryan Fitzpatrick cleaning up the messes that Tua Tagovailoa got them into (Miami), but now Fitzpatrick is in D.C.
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