Quarterbacks make the NFL world go round, and fans need not look any further than the betting odds to accept that truth.
Even in a relatively weak year for free-agent quarterbacks, the biggest movers in terms of Super Bowl odds were the teams that made a change at quarterback. The two most notable among them, of course, being the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Surprisingly, though, it wasn’t the Falcons whose odds made the biggest leap, even after adding the best available quarterback Kirk Cousins. No, it was the Steelers whose odds changed the most, going from +8000 to +5000 at BetMGM after adding both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. The New England Patriots also took a bigger jump than Atlanta after signing Jacoby Brissett, and trading Mac Jones to presumably make room for a top draft prospect at the position.
There’s a good explanation for that discrepancy in odds movement, though. Pittsburgh and New England had much longer odds to begin with, so they had a lot more room to move up. Atlanta remains a much bigger favorite than both.
Biggest Risers — Super Bowl odds post-free agency (BetMGM)
- Steelers: +8000 to +5000
- Patriots: +15000 to +12500
- Falcons: +5000 to +3000
- Seattle Seahawks: +8000 to +6600
- Houston Texans: +2500 + +2000
- Green Bay Packers: +2200 to +2000
As for teams whose odds went in the other direction, there’s no question Cousins caused the biggest drop. The Minnesota Vikings went from bigger favorites than Atlanta to bigger underdogs than the Chicago Bears (whose +4000 odds didn’t move).
Biggest Fallers — Super Bowl odds post-free agency (BetMGM)
- Vikings: +4000 to +8000
- Arizona Cardinals: +8000 to +10000
- Indianapolis Colts: +5000 to +6600
- New Orleans Saints: +6600 to +8000
- Jacksonville Jaguars: +3000 to +4000
- Miami Dolphins: +2000 to +2500
- Dallas Cowboys: +1600 to +1800
- San Francisco 49ers: +500 to +550
