Odds To Win Super Bowl 55: Chiefs’ Williams Opts Out

The number of players who have chosen to opt out of the 2020 NFL season due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow by the day, and now the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will be without Damien Williams when the campaign begins in September.

Williams had a big impact in Super Bowl 54, recording both a receiving and rushing touchdown. Chiefs backers shouldn’t fret, however, thanks to K.C. drafting LSU standout back Clyde Edwards-Helaire at the end of the first round in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Edwards-Helaire will likely have the starting running back job all to himself and looks like an excellent fit in Patrick Mahomes’ high-flying offense.

Oddsmakers clearly aren’t expecting the loss of Williams to have an impact, with the Chiefs’ Super Bowl 55 odds holding firm at +650 after the announcement – the best odds in the NFL.

Beckham Speaks Out Against Owners

The NFL has set an August 6 deadline for players to opt out. If a player opts out, his contract is paused for a season. Cleveland Browns star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. recently came out and said he does not think the NFL should hold the 2020 season, stating that the owners “don’t see us as human.”

For more information on everything you need to know about wagering on the big game, head over to our Where to Bet on the Super Bowl page. Here’s a look at the sportsbook’s Super Bowl odds for all 32 NFL teams.

Super Bowl 55 Updated Odds

Odds as of August 5 at BetOnline

Adams Trade Shows Seahawks are All-In

The NFC West is shaping up to be the most competitive division in football in 2020, and the Seattle Seahawks joined the arms race by acquiring star safety Jamal Adams from the New York Jets to shore up their defense.

The Seahawks traded a 2021 and 2022 first-round pick, a 2021 third-rounder and safety Bradley McDougald for the 24-year-old, showing the rest of the NFL that Seattle believes its window of Super Bowl contention is now.

In light of the deal, BetOnline lowered Seattle’s Super Bowl 55 odds from +2200 to +2000. The Jets’ championship chances fell from +11000 to +12500. 

Patriots Land Newton to Replace Brady

The New England Patriots appeared set to begin the post-Tom Brady era with Jarrett Stidham at quarterback, but Bill Belichick shocked the NFL on June 28 by signing 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton to a one-year, $7.5-million deal.

With the ex-Carolina Panther in tow, New England’s odds were on the move in a big way. The Pats’ Super Bowl odds jumped from +2500 to +2000 at BetOnline, while their chances to win the AFC improved from +1200 to +1000. New England and the Buffalo Bills are now +130 co-favorites to win the AFC East banner.

Prior to the offseason, the Panthers released the veteran QB after nine seasons, as shoulder and foot injuries have limited the 31-year-old over the past year, holding him to only two starts in the Panthers’ last 18 games. Newton didn’t garner much interest in free agency, but his patience has clearly paid off.

The Auburn product has the opportunity to showcase his skills on a short “prove it” contract similar to the one Ryan Tannehill signed with the Tennessee Titans last year.

That worked out nicely for Tannehill, who agreed to a four-year extension worth $118 million with the Titans after guiding Tennessee to the playoffs in his first year with the club.

Whose Odds are On the Rise?

Since the 2020 NFL Draft concluded, the sportsbook has seen no shortage of line movement in its Super Bowl odds. Two teams that are trending in the right direction are the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers.

On April 24, the Cowboys’ championship chances sat at +2800, while the Packers’ odds were at +3300. Dallas and Green Bay have since leapfrogged other teams on the board to move to +1600 and +2000, respectively. 

That shift is especially interesting when you consider the drastic difference in the public opinion of both teams’ drafts.

Dallas was widely praised as having an excellent draft. When standout Alabama wide receiver CeeDee Lamb fell to the Cowboys at No. 17, the Cowboys jumped on him. Jerry Jones then turned to defense in the next three rounds, selecting cornerback Trevon Diggs in the second, defensive tackle Neville Gallimore in the third and cornerback Reggie Robinson II in the fourth.

Green Bay’s draft has been heavily scrutinized, as general manager Brian Gutekunst’s decision to not add a wide receiver left many Packers fans scratching their heads. The Pack have their eventual Aaron Rodgers successor in Jordan Love, but their decision to not draft an impact player to help the team in the first round is questionable.

Whose Odds are Worsening?

The biggest losers at BetOnline since the draft are undoubtedly the Las Vegas Raiders. Las Vegas, which entered the first round with a +4000 shot to win the Super Bowl, saw its odds tumble all the way to the current number of +8000. 

Head coach Jon Gruden has high hopes for his Raiders as they enter the first year in the Las Vegas era, but the Raiders’ decisions throughout the draft have clearly negatively impacted their opinion in the betting public.

The Raiders reached at No. 19 by picking cornerback Damon Arnette and took wideouts back to back at Nos. 80 and 81 in Lynn Bowden Jr. and Bryan Edwards.

When it comes to betting on the NFL, odds are available before teams take their first regular-season snaps. You can even bet on a potential Super Bowl winner in August. Certain squads will always be contenders, especially if they won the previous year. When bookmakers set the lines, they look at offseason roster moves, coaching changes and past on-field performance. To bet on the odds for the Super Bowl, you’d make a futures bet.

What is a Futures Bet for NFL?

This is a bet in which you would look at the odds for the Super Bowl, weeks or sometimes months in advance of the big game, and decide which team you think will win. Let’s say you want to make a futures bet today. At your sportsbook of choice, the odds might look something like this:

If this were a moneyline bet, you’d be able to see which team is the clear favorite because it would have a minus sign beside its odds (-). For futures, the team with the lowest odds is favored to win the Super Bowl and the rest are underdogs.

Let’s say you feel strongly about the Saints and believe they’re going to win it all. If you were to bet $100 on them and they did triumph, you’d get a payout of $650 – your original $100 is returned along with your winnings of $550. Our Odds Calculator will show you how much you’d win based on the odds and amount bet.

The odds change throughout the season as key players get injured, trades happen and coaches get fired. Line movements for NFL futures happen weekly, so if you see odds you like, it’s best to bet on them ASAP. The Packers may be +900 to win the Super Bowl in October but after a surge in November their odds could jump to +400 and you’ll make less money than you would if you’d bet them at +900.