Tom Brady to Las Vegas Raiders? Odds keep improving
The odds on Tom Brady playing for the Las Vegas Raiders next season keep improving.
The Patriots remain the favorites to keep their six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback in New England. But if Brady leaves, the Raiders are now the favorites to sign him.
Las Vegas opened as a 20-1 long shot at DraftKings sportsbook in New Jersey on Wednesday to be Brady’s team in Week 1 of the 2020 NFL regular season.
The Raiders’ odds improved to 9-1 Thursday, trailing the Patriots (-300) and the Los Angeles Chargers (4-1).
But action on Las Vegas has since moved the Raiders to the 4-1 second choice to sign Brady, behind New England (-300).
The Chargers have dipped to the 6-1 third choice, followed by the Tennessee Titans (12-1), Indianapolis Colts (16-1) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (16-1).
“We saw the Raiders getting a little play,” DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello said. “Las Vegas is a good town for him to come to and the Raiders are not that bad. They deserve to be in the top three choices.”
According to reports Sunday, the Raiders and Chargers plan to pursue Brady if he hits the free-agent market in March. It also was reported that the Patriots are prepared to pay Brady more than $30 million per year to keep him.
Futures frenzy
The Monday and Tuesday after the Super Bowl are the two busiest days of the year for Super Bowl futures bets at the Westgate sportsbook.
“Everybody cashing Super Bowl tickets now will bet something on their way out,” Westgate vice president of risk Ed Salmons said Monday. “We’ve taken bets on literally every team.”
The Westgate took a $500 wager to win $20,000 on the Raiders (40-1) to win Super Bowl LV and a $500 bet to win $10,000 on the Raiders (20-1) to win the 2020 AFC title.
The book also took a $10,000 wager to win $70,000 on the Dallas Cowboys (7-1) to win the NFC title, after which the Westgate moved Dallas’ Super Bowl odds from 16-1 to 12-1.
“The Cowboys are a team I’m high on, so I lowered them and raised some other teams,” Salmons said. “Any coach besides Jason Garrett is a huge improvement.”
The Kansas City Chiefs were 7-1 favorites to win the 2021 Super Bowl before they rallied for a 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Super Bowl LIV.
Expecting plenty of action on the Chiefs to repeat as Super Bowl champs, the Westgate reopened Kansas City as the 5-1 favorite Monday to win Super Bowl LV.
“People remember what they just saw and they think (Chiefs quarterback Patrick) Mahomes is going to win a lot of Super Bowls like (Tom) Brady did,” Salmons said. “As long as they have Mahomes, you’d certainly think they would be in the mix.”
The Niners and Baltimore Ravens are tied for the second choice at 8-1. The New Orleans Saints are 10-1, the New England Patriots are 12-1 and the Steelers are 18-1.
The Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks are at 20-1, and the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings are at 25-1.
The Raiders are in a pack of seven teams at 40-1.
“The parity in this league is just ridiculous,” Salmons said.
NFL MVP
Mahomes opened as the 4-1 favorite at the Westgate to win the 2020-21 NFL MVP award.
Reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is the 6-1 second choice, followed by Russell Wilson (10-1) and Deshaun Watson (12-1). Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz are each 16-1 and Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Kyler Murray are each 20-1.
Super Bowl handle
Nevada’s Super Bowl handle — or amount wagered on the game — wasn’t released Monday, as expected, by the state’s Gaming Control Board. NGCB research analyst Michael Lawton told VSiN that one licensee was having “technical difficulties” and unable to file its report, so the figures couldn’t be finalized.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
