Want to bet on your team to win the Super Bowl?To make the playoffs? To finish with a certain number of wins?You can do all of this (and more) with NFL futures.
There are as many tactics for betting on the NFL’s future as there are tactics for the Carolina Panthers to blow an NFL draft pick (which is saying a lot).
The following is a review of various NFL futures features available at the most productive online betting sites, adding old trends and tips to help you place better bets.
The answer is right there in the name: it’s about betting on specific NFL outcomes that will only be decided in the future. We’re talking beyond Thanksgiving and, in many cases, not until the calendar flips to 2025.
NFL futures are especially ideal for casual sports bettors who don’t have the time, interest, or budget to engage in weekly betting.
On things like the Super Bowl or whether certain groups will go “over” or “under” a predetermined win total, you can (theoretically) have bets that last the entire season.
Another advantage of NFL futures betting: When getting involved in markets such as the Super Bowl, season win totals and individual awards, bettors can wager a little for the opportunity to win a lot, especially if you use bonus bets from a sportsbook’s welcome offer.
For example, if you think the Minnesota Vikings are a contender—one that’s capable of winning the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history—you can make a preseason bet at potentially longer odds than once the season begins to unfold.
Why do bookmakers offer such “long” odds?Because it’s hard to wait for the winners of the season.
Most bettors place bets on NFL futures before the regular season begins, but in fact it is not mandatory. In fact, most futures markets remain open on NFL betting sites during the season, and bookmakers constantly adjust the odds based on player and/or team performance, significantly. Injuries, Trades, and Betting Liability.
An example of the latter case: if a bookmaker takes an unbalanced amount of cash on a specific team or player, the odds for placing bets on the team or player will be less attractive. Conversely, if a bookmaker receives minimal action on a team or player, they will increase the odds in the hope of attracting bets.
Sometimes those odds adjustments are made weekly, daily, and every few hours. The purpose of NFL futures betting is to attack when the positive odds are at their highest level to maximize value. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done.
As with all sports bets, you can risk as little as $1 on an NFL futures wager. Obviously, the more you bet, the more you stand to win. And the higher the odds, the larger the potential payout.
Hypothetical example: At FanDuel Sportsbook, Patrick Mahomes has the lowest odds of winning the MVP at 650, while reigning MVP Lamar Jackson has odds of 1200.
If you buy $10 at Mahomes, you’ll earn $65. However, if you bet $10 on Jackson to win, you will win $120.
Here are the first Super Bowl 59 odds for 2025. Odds vary between bookmakers.
Casual bettors are drawn to Super Bowl futures so they can bet on their favorite team and make a huge profit if that team manages to cap off a magical season with a championship.
Conversely, so-called sharp bettors get involved in the Super Bowl futures market for one reason: value. If they believe strongly that oddsmakers are selling particular teams short, savvy bettors will pounce on them.
Entering the 2023-24 season, the Super Bowl betting favorite, the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. This is no longer the case, as they were outclassed by the San Francisco 49ers.
Sportsbooks waste no time releasing Big Game odds, and the new odds are the day after the Super Bowl.
Trends to watch: The last 11 Super Bowl winners have won at least 11 regular-season games, the defending champion Chiefs, who went 11-6 in 2023.
Do you think Kansas City can win its third Super Bowl straight out in 2025?History suggests this is unlikely, as no NFL team has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls.
It’s also not wise to bet long-term on the Super Bowl on a team that wasn’t very smart last season. Since the 2009 campaign, only the Philadelphia Eagles (2017) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020) have lifted the Lombardi Trophy after winning fewer than 10 games last season (both with 7-9 records).
Do you have a lot of confidence that a sure team will make it to the Super Bowl, but not a lot of confidence that it will be the last one standing?So, place a bet on the championship of the convention.
As you’d expect, the teams at the top and bottom of the AFC and NFC championship odds board mirror those at the top and bottom of the Super Bowl odds list.
Trending Highlights: No AFC South team has reached the Super Bowl since the Indianapolis Colts in 2009, and no NFC North team has done so since the Green Bay Packers in 2010. PlusArray: At least one team from the AFC West or NFC West has made an impression in 11 of the last thirteen Super Bowls.
Similar to conference championship and Super Bowl futures, bettors can take a stab at which teams will win their respective divisions.
The most competitive division, at least in the eyes of bettors?It was the NFC North in 2023. The Detroit Lions started as favorites against the rest, but the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers were not far from the top. start of the season.
Trend of note: In 2021, which was the first time the NFL moved to a 17-game schedule, six of eight division winners won at least 12 games. The exceptions were the Buffalo Bills (11 wins) and Cincinnati Bengals (10).
Many online sportsbooks also offer bettors the opportunity to wager on teams to qualify for the postseason.
In addition to adding an additional game to the season’s normal schedule, the NFL expanded the playoff bracket through two groups (one in conference). As a result, 14 of the league’s 32 groups, or 43. 8 percent, can now play meaningful football in January. .
Want to get the price of your NFL bets? Consider making sure NFL seasons win overall bets. This futures bet is undeniable and is the ideal option for live game betting, week by week.
Here’s how it works. Before the season, each bookmaker projects a set number of wins for all 32 teams and then allows bettors to decide whether they need to bet “over” or “under” that number.
The teams, the ones at the top of the Super Bowl odds board, have the highest projected win totals, while the presumed worst teams in the league have the lowest.
Some betting sites go a step further by offering a huge diversity of overall wins for the team, with a sliding scale of plus/minus odds based on the total number of wins.
Hypothetical example: Let’s say the Dallas Cowboys’ classic overall win at BetMGM for next season is 10. 5, with odds of -150 for the Over and 120 for the Under. So if you think the Cowboys would win 11 or more games, you have to bet $150 to win $100. But if you predicted Dallas would win $10 or less, you can simply bet $100 to win $120.
But let’s just say he’s confident in the Cowboys’ ability to exceed expectations. You can bet on Dallas to go over 12. 5 wins at odds of 325 (minus odds of -500).
Do you think the Cowboys are ready for next season?You can bet under 6. 5 wins at odds of 550 (under is -1000).
Or you’d like to test your luck at the “intermediate” level, i. e. try to win two more overall winning bets in Dallas. For example, you can bet over 9. 5 wins at odds of -165 and under 11. 5 wins. with a risky (and potentially costly) probability of -225. Es. But if the Cowboys finished with exactly 10 or 11 wins, you’d pay either bet.
U. S. Online BookmakersThey post odds on individual end-of-season rewards. Bettors can bet on everything from the league’s Most Valuable Player to the NFL’s Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year to the NFL Coach of the Year, and those bets can be placed throughout the year.
But that’s not all. Most books also bet on the statistical effects of the season.
Want to bet Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts will have more touchdown passes or passing yards?Which runner will earn the name on the field? Will a wide breeder pass over or under a quick-get distance number?
All of this (and much more) is available. When it comes to NFL futures betting, the list is longer than Tom Brady’s career.
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