We are less than a day away from the official start of free agency for the 2021 NFL season and weeks away from the 2021 NFL Draft. Over the next month and a half teams will be looking to improve their rosters and gear up for OTAs in May.
We are still a ways away from the start of training camp in the summer but it’s never too early to preview the best teams in the NFL and take a look at who has the best odds to win Super Bowl LVI as the new league year commences.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Kansas City Chiefs currently DraftKings has the best odds to win Super Bowl LVI at +500 according to GamingToday.com. They are a deep, talented team led by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They didn’t play their best game in last year’s Super Bowl and you have to think the team will use the loss as motivation to return to the Super Bowl.
Second to the Chiefs are defending champs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+800). With Tom Brady still playing at a high-level, it’s going to be difficult to count out the Bucs next season.
In addition to the Chiefs and Bucs, other top teams include the Green Bay Packers (+1100), the Buffalo Bills (+1300), and the Baltimore Ravens (+1300). However, you can make an argument that the best value right now is on the Indianapolis Colts at +2200.
The Colts were 11-5 last year and made the playoffs with aging Philip Rivers. This year, the team is returning many of their star players in addition to trading for Carson Wentz who comes over from the Eagles to reunite with his former offensive coordinator — Frank Reich. And don’t sleep on the Los Angeles Rams at +1300 who like Indianapolis made headlines this offseason trading for quarterback Matthew Stafford (Detroit).
According to sports betting apps, the Las Vegas Raiders are a complete longshot to win it all next season (+5000 at DraftKings).
No matter what you decide, there are realities the Raiders will have to face next year. One is replacing wideout Nelson Agholor who is expected to sign with the New England Patriots. The loss of Agholor is big as he was the team’s best receiver last year.
Additionally, the Raiders will need to build winning habits and play consistent winning football — something they haven’t been able to do the last two seasons. Last year, the Raiders won just two games after starting the season 6-3. This next season, they’ll need to win at home as they were a dismal 2-6 in Las Vegas and take their overall play to the next level in order to play in playoff football games.
If you feel strongly about the Raiders this year or any other team for that matter, be sure to place your bets early as oddsmakers will be updating the future odds all offseason and season long.
twitter: @raidersbeat
