To say the odds for the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl have fluctuated in the last few months would be an understatement.
The team has had a wild off-season that began with Tom Brady moving to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then the Pats did not draft a quarterback and it looked like they would head into the season with the unproven Jarrett Stidham taking the reins under centre and 11-year veteran Brian Hoyer backing him up.
However, New England have now addressed their playmaking issues with the signing of former MVP Cam Newton, which has led to some big changes in the NFL betting markets at New Jersey sportsbooks.
Here is how the odds at William Hill New Jersey have fluctuated for the Patriots in the off-season:
- Opened at +1200 with Brady still in the fold
- March 20 – +2000 after Brady signs with the Bucs
- April 25 – +2500 after NFL Draft
- June 29 – +1800 after Newton signs with the Patriots
Newton may have to compete with Stidham for the starting job, but he is likely to be the Week 1 starter if he stays healthy and picks up the system.
Newton is coming into a good situation in New England, as last season the team had the best defense in the NFL and a pretty good run game. He does not have a lot of weapons on the outside, but all of the key skill players are back for a Pats team that has won the AFC East every season since 2008 and was the seventh-highest scoring team in the league last season.
The odds on New England to win the Super Bowl have improved with the signing of Newton, as have their prices to win the AFC Championship (+700) and the AFC East (+100).
Newton has had injury issues and missed all but two games last season. However, he has been active on social media during the pandemic with videos showing that he is back and healthy. The Pats gave Newton a bare-minimum deal that can reach $7.5 million including incentives.
With his one-year deal, Newton is hoping to do what Ryan Tannehill did last year with the Tennessee Titans. Traded to the Titans after the 2018 season to back up Marcus Mariota, Tannehill ended up taking the starting job a few weeks into the 2019 season and played a key role in Tennessee’s run to the AFC title game.
Like Newton, Tannehill signed a one-year deal with the Titans for $2 million and ended up earning $5.5 million with incentives. After the 2019 season, he re-signed with Tennessee on a four-year deal for $118 million with $62 million fully guaranteed. Newton is looking to do the same thing and New England fans are hoping he can take over Brady’s mantle and make their team legitimate Super Bowl contenders once again.
Speaking of the GOAT, the outright odds for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spiked sharply after he joined the team as a free agent. The Bucs sit on the fifth line of betting to win the Super Bowl at +1500, while they are third in the queue for the NFC Championship at +700.