Russell Wilson & Aaron Rodgers Impact NFL Futures Markets

nfl preseason schedule

While college basketball dominates the legal US sports betting industry in March, offseason moves in the NFL still impact the overall betting handle.

The annual NCAA Tournament for men’s basketball remains one of the biggest sports betting events of the year. A total of 68 teams battle it out for the right to play for a national title. Following three weeks of pure March Madness, the top two teams left standing meet on a Monday night in early April to play for the championship.

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Two Major NFL Offseason Player Moves

Over in the NFL during a long and extended offseason, sports bettors are still engaged with whatever is going on in the league. The big draw for the month of March is the beginning of free agency. All 32 teams are looking for those one or two pieces of the puzzle that can improve their overall ball club for the upcoming regular season.

Prior to the start this NFL offseason free agency period, a blockbuster trade and a new player contact dominated the headlines.

It was no big secret that All-Pro quarterback Russell Wilson was looking for a change of scenery from Seattle. Drafted in the third round back in 2012, he played his first 10 NFL seasons for the Seahawks. The highlight of that tenure was a Super Bowl title in 2013.

Reports out of Seattle confirm that team has agreed to trade Wilson to the Denver Broncos, who ironically enough was the team he beat in that Super Bowl run.

This will go down as one of the biggest trades in the history of the NFL. It will also change the future fate of each of these franchises.

At the same time in Green Bay, the Packers have worked out a deal to keep future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers as their starter for the foreseeable future. Last offseason, Rodgers expressed his interest in possibly relocating to a different team.

After winning his second-straight Most Valuable Player award as the NFL’s top player last season, the Packers pulled out all the stops to keep Rodgers in Green Bay. The end result will be the richest contact in the history of the NFL if the $200 million figure for four years is accurate.

Impacts on Betting NFL Futures

These two player moves in early March have already had a major impact on the betting futures to win next season’s Super Bowl.

At BetMGM, the Broncos’ NFL futures odds moved to +1200 to win Super Bowl LVII in February of 2023. Right after the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI, Denver was opened at +4000 odds to accomplish that same feat.

The Packers have been perennial preseason favorites to the Super Bowl or at least the NFC title with Rodgers at the helm. In his 16-year tenure with the team dating back to 2005, Green Bay only has one Super Bowl title on the resume (2010).

None the less, the news that Rodgers will be returning to the team moved Green Bay’s odds from 15-1 to 12-1 to win Super Bowl LVII at Caesars Sportsbook.

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