Betting on Brady: Raiders’ odds rise; Chargers, 49ers improve

A week before NFL free agency starts, the odds on where Tom Brady takes his first snap next season have moved in favor of multiple West Coast teams at the Westgate sportsbook. But the Raiders’ odds have risen.

A Westgate bettor on Monday placed a $1,200 wager on the Los Angeles Chargers to land Brady at 8-1 odds. After taking the largest wager to date on the Brady prop, the Westgate moved the Chargers to the +350 second choice behind the Patriots, the -160 favorite to bring the three-time NFL MVP back to New England.

“We eased the Chargers from 6-1 to 8-1 because they were not getting too much support,” Westgate vice president of risk Jeff Sherman said. “But we finally saw some support show up on them from a bettor we respect. That’s not to say they have information but we respect their opinion so we moved some of the other ones around based on that.”

The Patriots are the even-money favorite at William Hill for Brady’s 2020 team after opening at -160.

“No one’s betting them at all. They’re betting everybody else,” Sherman said. “We only have two small tickets on the Patriots.

“I think he’s going to go back to the Patriots. But there’s a lot of people out there that don’t think that.”

Ticket, money leaders

The ticket and money leaders on the Brady prop at the Westgate are, in order, the Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers and Raiders.

The Niners are the 8-1 fourth choice after opening at 100-1.

“At the end of last week, the media was talking about the Niners as a possibility, then people started betting them,” Sherman said.

The Raiders have climbed to 10-1 after opening at 6-1.

“The whole (Brady) thing started with the Raiders because they said they were willing to offer him a contract,” Sherman said. “But just because they make an offer doesn’t mean he’s going to go there. There’s more chatter about other teams than the Raiders at this point.”

The Titans are the 6-1 third choice at the Westgate and 8-1 at William Hill.

“We tried to be somewhat lower on them in respect to other teams just because of the coaching situation with (Mike) Vrabel, who Brady’s close to, and how well Tennessee did in the playoffs,” Sherman said. “They’re a piece or two away from being a serious contender. It seems like a landing spot that could come into play.”

The Chargers are 4-1 at William Hill.

“It would make sense for them to go after him, with (quarterback Philip) Rivers leaving and the way things have gone in that market,” Sherman said. “They’re not selling PSLs (for new SoFi Stadium) for the Chargers. The Rams are. They need to do something to put seats in the stands and this is one way of doing it.”

Lakers NBA title favorites

Last week, the Milwaukee Bucks were made the 2020 NBA title favorites for the first time this season over the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. But Milwaukee’s time at the top was short-lived.

The Lakers emerged Monday as the +180 favorites at the Westgate to win the 2020 title after beating the Bucks on Friday and the Clippers on Sunday.

The Bucks and Clippers are tied for second at 3-1.

“It’s all based on perception and our liability on the Lakers,” Sherman said.

Tiger’s Masters odds rise

When Tiger Woods pulled out of the Players Championship on Friday, the Westgate changed his odds to win the Masters from 16-1 to 20-1.

“It sounds like his back issues are more than what he anticipated,” Sherman said.

Woods remains the Masters ticket leader at the Westgate while Rory McIlroy, the 8-1 favorite, is the money leader.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.