Everything is weird.
Most of us are stuck inside, our social interactions restricted to six feet or more. Tom Brady will soon be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. Philip Rivers is a Colt.
With so much weirdness going around, it makes sense to take stock of where everything in the NFL stands right now.
What teams made big moves? Which players switched teams? How does it all affect the PA sports gambling odds?
NFL free agency is far from finished, but here’s what you need to know after a flurry of activity this week.
Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl odds got a big boost with TB12
According to DK Nation, the Buccaneers started the offseason at +5000 to win it all. Those odds crept up as rumors, speculation and a few futures bets started to connect Brady and Tampa Bay. Now, with Brady’s signing imminent, the odds have landed at +1800. Their odds to win the NFC are currently +900.
Brady joins a team that already has a lot of good pieces in place. Head coach Bruce Arians is a seasoned NFL veteran who has led potent offenses in Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. He’s worked with other elite quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck.
And the Bucs led the entire league in receiving last year, powered by a pair of 1,000 yard seasons by Mike Evans and Penn State alum Chris Godwin.
Plus, Tampa Bay’s defense finished fifth in the league last year. And that unit will keep pass rusher Shaq Barrett, who had 19.5 sacks last season and has been retained via the franchise tag.
So, even at +1800 at DraftKings, the Buccaneers future odds might provide some decent value.
Eagles bolster their defense
Philadelphia’s first moves this offseason focused on upgrading their defense. The big splash arrived yesterday when the Eagles traded a third and fifth round pick in the upcoming draft to Detroit in exchange for cornerback Darius Slay.
Slay is widely viewed as a top-tier cornerback and he signed a contract extension that will keep him in Philadelphia for the next three years.
The Eagles also signed former Steelers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a three-year contract to bolster their front four. Currently, Philadelphia is seventh in futures odds at FanDuel Sportsbook with odds of +1900.
FOX Bet has also posted look-ahead lines for the Eagles’ entire season.
Steelers sign Penn State alum and Super Bowl guard
The Steelers signed Pittsburgh native and two-time Super Bowl champion Stefan Wisniewski, who played in high school at Pittsburgh Central Catholic and in college at Penn State. Wisniewski can play both center and guard and started at left guard for the Chiefs and the Eagles in their recent Super Bowl victories.
Pittsburgh also signed fullback Derek Watt, brother of Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, to a three-year deal.
The other significant move was retaining outside linebacker Bud Dupree via the franchise tag. Dupree had 11.5 sacks and four forced fumbles last season. His return ensures that Pittsburgh’s playmaking defense from last season will remain largely intact.
The Steelers are currently +2800 to win the Super Bowl at BetRivers.
Rivers improves Colts futures
According to TheLines.com, the Colts opened the offseason with futures odds at +4000 to win the Super Bowl. But after signing former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, the pricing for Indianapolis has changed to +2800.
Outside of Brady moving to Tampa Bay, the Rivers acquisition is perhaps the biggest move of free agency.
Hopkins headed to Arizona
The Arizona Cardinals also saw a significant change in futures odds after trading for Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins is considered to be one of the best receivers in the entire league and should enhance the development of second-year quarterback Kyler Murray.
The Cardinals Super Bowl odds have moved from +6600 to +5000 after their offseason moves.
Las Vegas Raiders have already signed eight free agents
The Raiders are moving to Las Vegas this season and have been busy overhauling their roster as well. Las Vegas has signed eight free agents, most notably former Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota and Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.
The Raiders odds have moved from +7000 to +5000 right now on FOX Bet.
More moves are coming, stay tuned for updated odds
The NFL’s offseason activity is far from over.
Just yesterday, the Los Angeles Rams released running back Todd Gurley and linebacker Clay Matthews, sending a couple of talented players out into free agency. Some have even speculated that Gurley could even end up with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.
And with the NFL Draft still on schedule for late April, there should be more activity next month as well.
So the NFL action isn’t going to end anytime soon.
And that will give us a nice diversion in the midst of everything else that is weird.
Related Articles
