Early odds are already available for the 2023 season, so it's time to take a peak and see if there's any value to be had in the NFL futures markets.
The Super Bowl futures for 2024 updated directly after the Chiefs win and put Kansas City as the betting favorites once again at +600. Last year’s losing team, the Eagles, had much bigger futures odds around this time last year than the Chiefs (they opened around +3000 and were available at +2200 or bigger for much of the summer) and gave early investors an easy hedge opportunity in the big game.
For today, we’re going to take a look at some teams with longer odds who can perhaps pay off in similar ways that the Eagles and Bengals did for bettors over the last two seasons. Even if you’re not ready to pull the trigger, these are all teams with decent paths to making a run in 2023-24 and worth keeping an eye on as the off-season progresses.
Mentions Jacksonville and Detroit and then...
Carolina Panthers +5000
Carolina’s hiring of Frank Reich gives the team an experienced offensive-minded head coach who has produced winning records in three of his five seasons as head coach. As we saw last year in Jacksonville, getting someone of that caliber can change the dynamics of a team very fast.
The Panthers also sit in a division ripe for the taking. Three of the teams currently are in flux at quarterback (including the Panthers), and the other in Atlanta has a very thin talent pool at several key positions.
A lot will depend on getting the right fit under center, but the Panthers do have the ninth pick in a draft where many are expecting four quarterbacks to be taken in the first 20 selections. If they hit a home run at that position in the draft or in a trade, Carolina could become the class of this division quickly. Given their recent hire at head coach, that would make them a potentially very live threat in the wide open NFC once the playoffs begin.
[Credit: Peter Overzet of Fantasy Life]