NFL Odds & Betting

Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones is set on leaving the franchise, though the latest betting odds don't necessarily expect him to be on his way out so soon. 

Jones told Shannon Sharpe on Undisputed Monday that he wants out, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said he requested a trade out of the organization "a few months ago."

But odds from DraftKings have the wideout staying put for the time being, with the Falcons at +500 (bet $100 to win $500) to be the team for which he plays his first snap of the season:

 But if he does end up on the move, the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots have the same odds as the Falcons. 

Per Rapoport, the team "is open to considering" his trade request, but there aren't any guarantees that Jones will be playing on a different team for the first time after 10 years in Atlanta. 

General manager Terry Fontenot told reporters in April that the team would listen to offers for its all-time leader in receptions (848) and yards (12,896). 

If he is headed out, the Falcons can look to Calvin Ridley as his replacement, while their first-round draft pick Kyle Pitts will be capable of plenty of touches. But it will be difficult to replace the sort of consistency that Jones provides. Even in a down 2020, the seven-time Pro Bowler had 51 receptions for 771 yards and three scores.

According to NFL Network's Mike Giardi, the New England Patriots have "had internal discussions" about the receiver (h/t Adam Maya of NFL.com). After a down year, the Patriots re-tooled by adding Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry as options for whoever is under center—where Cam Newton, Mac Jones, Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer are all waiting.

The Chargers make a little more sense, especially since they lost Henry to new England, though they have Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Jalen Guyton heading the position under Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert. 

Jones has three years left on his current deal, per Spotrac. If the Falcons move him prior to June 1, they'll owe $23.3 million in dead cap money, a figure that decreases sharply after that date, down to $7.8 million. 

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

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We're about four months away from the start of the 2021 NFL season but fans can already look ahead at the Week 1 betting lines released Wednesday:

There are several notable matchups between possible contenders in Week 1, including the reigning Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers opening the year on Sept. 9 against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Buccaneers open as a 6.5-point favorite, although the return of Dak Prescott could make the Cowboys a much tougher opponent compared to last year's 6-10 squad.

The Kansas City Chiefs are favored by 5.5 points over the Cleveland Browns in a rematch of last year's playoff game. The Chiefs squeaked out a 22-17 win over Cleveland in the divisional round despite an injury to Patrick Mahomes. If the quarterback is on the field, however, the Chiefs could be difficult to beat.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are interestingly favored over the Houston Texans in what could be the first game for rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The No. 1 overall draft pick is hoping to turn things around after the squad went 1-15 in 2020.

Meanwhile, the New England Patriots open as 2.5-point underdogs at home against the division rival Miami Dolphins.

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

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Aaron Rodgers reportedly wants out of the Green Bay Packers organization, but the odds suggest that he won't get his wish.

The Packers are currently the betting favorite for where Rodgers will play his first snap of the season, at -150 odds (bet $100 to win $66.67) via DraftKings. 

The Denver Broncos (+200) and Las Vegas Raiders (+600) are also in the running. 

The New Orleans Saints are the fourth team on the board at +1000 odds.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Rodgers is frustrated with a lack of a long-term extension, and he wants to more involved in personnel decisions with the franchise. In addition to being bothered by the team's drafting of Jordan Love in 2020, the team released wideout Jake Kumerow after Rodgers publicly praised him in September. 

But the team brass isn't so willing to move on from the franchise star.

Head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Saturday that he "can't fathom [Rodgers] not being in Green Bay" after general manager Brian Gutekunst and team president Mark Murphy issued similar sentiments. 

"We've been working through this for a little while now, and I just think it may take some time," Gutekunst said Friday, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. "But he's a guy that kind of makes this thing go. He gives us the best chance to win, and we're going to work towards that end."

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

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There's been plenty written about the quarterback run most anticipate will happen at the top of the 2021 NFL draft—as many as five signal-callers could be selected inside the top 10. A run on pass-catchers should also come early, which will likely include LSU's Ja'Marr Chase, Florida's Kyle Pitts, and Alabama's DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.

There's a flip side to all that. With no consensus No. 1 edge-rusher or cornerback in the Class of 2021, quite a bit of uncertainty looms about who will be the first defensive player taken April 29 in Cleveland.

But there's a young defender who checks all the boxes to take that distinction. His talent is unquestionable. He plays a premium position. His production was elite at college football's highest level. And he even has an NFL pedigree, as his father played in the pros for 11 years and made it to three Pro Bowls.

Patrick Surtain II of Alabama has everything it takes to become a shutdown pro cornerback in short order.

He was a key component of a defense that helped lead the Crimson Tide to another national championship in 2020. His career stats at Alabama aren't especially eye-popping—116 total tackles, four interceptions and 24 passes defensed in three years as a starter.

But those stats don't tell the whole story. Opposing quarterbacks didn't exactly attack Surtain, and when they did, they didn't have much success. By the end of his final collegiate season, he was a consensus All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year—the first corner to win the latter award since Morris Claiborne in 2011.

Surtain's father, Patrick, who played for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs and who coached his son at American Heritage High School in Florida, is admittedly biased. But he thinks his son is clearly the No. 1 prospect at his position in this draft, telling Stephen M. Smith of Touchdown Alabama Magazine:

"I am a cornerback connoisseur, so I study all of these guys. I try to watch all of their games. American Heritage is going to have three corners taken in the draft this year, so I take pride in studying them. I actually talked to Jaycee [Horn]. Really good dude. I know his father and I played against his father. The thing that separates Pat is probably everything. His athleticism, being at Alabama, being under Nick Saban, his understanding of the game, the defense they play at Alabama is the same way they play in the NFL. He has been training for this day for a long time, and all of those guys have natural, physical abilities. I think Pat separates himself by the level of competition at Alabama."

It isn't just Surtain's father who has high expectations for him. NFL.com draft guru Lance Zierlein talked up his strengths in most facets of the game, comparing him to one of the best cover men of his generation in former Raiders standout Nnamdi Asomugha:

"Lockdown, press-man cornerback with elite size, length and talent to match up with any brand of receiver from any place on the field. He was a five-star recruit coming in and he consistently competed for championships in high school and college. Surtain possesses elite physical and athletic traits with the rare combination of length and short-area quickness that allows him to play on a press-man island and phase routes on all three levels. He plays to his length with plus technique and cover skills that make winning downfield a very challenging proposition. He was beaten in true man-to-man battles for 29-plus yards just five times during his career. His ability to stay connected to the route allows him to shut down yards after catch very quickly as a strong, wrap-up tackler. Run support goes in the 'strengths' column, as well. He's been well-schooled at home and at Alabama. He's wired like a future All-Pro cornerback."

Surtain put on a show last year, and that festival of finery continued at Alabama's first pro day on March 23. Per Charlie Potter of 247 Sports, Surtain's unofficial 4.42-second 40-yard dash would have been the fifth-best time by a corner at the 2019 scouting combine. He also peeled off an impressive 18 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press and registered a vertical of 39 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 11 inches.

The performance only served to solidify his status as an early first-round pick, and it impressed NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

"It was really good," Jeremiah said in a Zoom call with reporters. "When you look at the testing stuff and start there, it's outstanding numbers. You kind of put him up, side by side, with Jalen Ramsey—just from a testing standpoint—it's eerily similar. I think they were a pound different. Very similar across the board in what they did there."

Being compared to Ramsey and Asomugha isn't terrible.

For all the things Surtain does well, he isn't flawless. His short-area quickness isn't elite—his 10- and 20-yard shuttle times at Alabama's pro day weren't great, and he didn't participate in the three-cone drill. It can be argued that he doesn't have the speed of South Carolina's Jaycee Horn or the raw athleticism of Virginia Tech's Caleb Farley.

But while Surtain may not have the highest ceiling of this year's top cornerback prospects, it isn't far off. His floor, by contrast, is exponentially higher. This is a young man who was watching film on receivers when many prospects were playing with Power Rangers. There are corners who have been in the league for three years who don't have Surtain's technique. He is as pro-ready of a collegiate corner as we have seen in several years.

Occasionally a defensive tackle will be the first defensive player drafted, but most years the first defender taken will be either an edge-rusher (Nick Bosa in 2019 and Chase Young in 2020) or a cornerback (Denzel Ward in 2018). There's talent on the edge this year, but no clear-cut top dog. And that opens the door for Surtain to shoot past them to the top of the proverbial heap.

More than a few mock drafts predict that is exactly what will happen. In his latest mock at CBS Sports, Josh Edwards slotted Surtain as the first defensive prospect off the board to Dallas at No. 10. Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire also has him as the first defender chosen, one pick earlier to the Denver Broncos.

Frankly, the quarterback run so many expect in the top 10 could be a blessing to teams that don't have a glaring need under center. They might land a player who wouldn't fall that far most years. In three of the past five drafts, the No. 1 corner hasn't made it outside the top five.

In the class of 2021, Surtain is that top cornerback. He's got the total package of talent, technique and production. He's about as bust-proof as you can reasonably expect a prospect to be. And with no home run No. 1 pass-rusher, he's the best bet to be the first defensive player to hear his called at the end of the month.

Just ask the oddsmakers at DraftKings, who list Surtain as the betting favorite to be the first defender drafted.

You know, if you're into that sort of thing.

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Although Super Bowl betting was reportedly down overall in 2021 from last year, online gambling had a massive surge as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

According to David Purdum of ESPN, there was a 267 percent increase in online betting over Super Bowl weekend compared to 2020.

This comes as Las Vegas casinos experienced a 12 percent drop, which could be a result of occupancy restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There has also been an expansion of legal sports betting in other states in recent years.

Per Purdum, Illinois had $45.6 million in bets for the Super Bowl, with 94 percent of it coming online.

Even with people unable or unwilling to leave their homes, there was still plenty of opportunity to put big money on the line for the big game.

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).

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One long-term bet paid off in a big way following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

On July 7, a bettor successfully predicted the winners of the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final and the main event of UFC 251. As a result, an $8 wager became $20,643.84, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

That parlay had to be tense early on, but the last step must have been the most anxiety-inducing in the buildup to the Super Bowl.

Once the game began, though, it became clear who would come out on top. Tampa Bay dominated almost from start to finish, with the Bucs defense neutralizing Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City's high-octane attack.

The lucky bettor might feel the temptation to ride this momentum into 2021, but that luck will run out sooner or later. It might behoove the bettor to quit while he or she is ahead.

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

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