NFL Betting: Super Bowl XLV Futures

Peyton Manning is only 9-9 during the playoffs in his career. (AP Images)

Football season has been over for less than 24 hours (as of this writing), but if you are like me, you already are missing it. Well, don’t worry because Bodog is well aware that football is a 365-day-a-year sport when it comes to betting – and thus it already has released odds to win Super Bowl XLV next February at Cowboys Stadium just outside Dallas.

Peyton Manning came up short in trying to win his second ring on Sunday night, but his Colts have opened as the Bodog favorites for next year at 13/2. The Chargers, who were shocked by the Jets in the AFC divisional round this season, are No. 2 at 8/1. It’s hard to believe the Patriots haven’t won the big game since XXXIX in 2005, but they are the third-favorites in the AFC at 10/1.

The Saints have opened at 10/1 to be the favorite among NFC teams; they were 20/1 to win it all this season when the odds were released last February. Green Bay, Dallas and Minnesota all are right behind New Orleans at 12/1 for next season. No team has ever played in the Super Bowl in its home stadium, which the Cowboys obviously will be gunning for. Arizona is a 35/1 long shot no doubt because of the retirement of Kurt Warner. The Vikings’ odds are guaranteed to get longer if Brett Favre finally retires for good.

This will be a very unique offseason in the NFL because of the likelihood that it’s an uncapped year when it comes to the salary cap. This will go into place if there is no agreement for a new collective bargaining agreement by early in March. So while there could be an unprecedented amount of movement, it’s not going to be a total free-for-all. Players who have been in the NFL for four full seasons usually would become unrestricted free agents, but that will go to six years in an uncapped system.

In addition, the NFL’s top eight teams (Arizona, Dallas, Minnesota, New Orleans, Baltimore, Indianapolis, N.Y. Jets, San Diego) will be limited to how much they can spend. And the four teams that advanced to the conference championship games (Vikings, Saints, Colts, Jets) are limited in the number of free agents that they may sign; the limit is determined by the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs. They cannot sign any unrestricted free agents unless one of theirs is signed by another team.

Super Bowl XLV will be the third time the Super Bowl has visited Texas, with the previous two coming in Houston (1974, 2004).

Don’t delay, bet on NFL futures at Bodog today!