NFL futures odds: Which teams benefit most from Andrew Luck's retirement?
Two days after Andrew Luck stunned the NFL by announcing his retirement at age 29, the NFL futures market is just beginning to settle down.
The Indianapolis Colts predictably took a massive hit from Luck's sudden departure. The Colts were 12-1 to win the Super Bowl before the news; their odds moved to 30-1 on Saturday night and sat at 60-1 by Monday.
Indy opened at 20-1 in January and was one of the most-bet teams in Las Vegas before the Luck news. With the star quarterback stepping away, here are some other teams bettors could target and whose Super Bowl odds tightened.
Jacksonville Jaguars (40-1 to 25-1)
With Luck gone, the AFC South favorite predictably saw a bump in its futures price. Somewhat surprisingly, though, the Jaguars - who finished last in 2018 in a crowded division - are the ones with the best odds in the AFC South to win the Super Bowl and conference title.
Jacksonville and Houston are division co-favorites at 2-1, though Nick Foles and Co. have the sixth-shortest AFC odds at 12-1 and are 25-1 to win it all. With a competent quarterback, stout run game, and potentially lethal defense, this year's Jags team has some promising similarities to 2017's AFC runner-up squad.
Houston Texans (40-1 to 30-1)
Houston was neck and neck with Jacksonville across the futures odds board a week ago, so it's a bit surprising to see the Texans trail their division rival in Super Bowl odds (30-1) and AFC title odds (15-1) as of Monday.
Oddsmakers don't often factor running backs into futures odds - especially not pedestrian ones - but Lamar Miller tearing his ACL minutes before the Luck news may discourage bettors from buying up Houston. An already shaky offensive line will put enormous pressure on a thin running back depth chart, and Deshaun Watson may have to put on more of a heroic performance than he did in his 2018 Pro Bowl season.
Tennessee Titans (80-1 to 50-1)
Yes, yes, the odds moving for all the teams in the AFC South shouldn't come as a surprise. But the Titans' movement is notable because the Colts' demise helps Jacksonville's and Houston's Super Bowl chances much more than Tennessee's.
The Titans did go from 6-1 to 13-4 (+325) to win the AFC South, which is likely Tennessee's best shot at the playoffs with the AFC West and AFC North boasting multiple playoff-worthy squads. Yet, if you didn't like the Titans' chances to leapfrog the Texans or Jaguars before Saturday, you're likely no more enthused, even with the Colts out of the picture. The value is slipping away here.
Los Angeles Chargers (18-1 to 14-1)
Los Angeles sat one spot behind Indy on the futures odds board before Saturday, so it's natural to see the Bolts slide into the seventh-favorite spot formerly occupied by the Colts. Indy's slip matters specifically for the Chargers, who now have a clear path to the top wild-card spot - which could mean a road game against the AFC South winner to open the playoffs.
Los Angeles is built to be a title contender - which has seemingly been the case for years - and a Melvin Gordon return would make this squad even more dangerous offensively. Even with tighter odds, it's worth grabbing L.A. before Gordon's return to get ahead of any action on the team's Super Bowl and AFC odds.
Pittsburgh Steelers (20-1 to 18-1)
In theory, the Steelers' playoff odds were boosted with Indy slipping out of the race, though Pittsburgh hasn't exactly had a stellar offseason that would suggest shorter than 20-1 title odds.
We've already discussed the under potential for this year's Steelers team, and they'll have to stave off Cleveland (18-1 to win the Super Bowl) and Baltimore (40-1) from within the division. If you didn't like Pittsburgh at 20-1, there's little reason to jump at 18-1. Grab one of the other AFC North teams whose odds remained steady and have as good a chance to win it all.