Aaron Rodgers put to bed months of speculation on Wednesday’s Pat McAfee show, announcing his time with the Green Bay Packers is over and his intention to play for the New York Jets instead next season.
While the deal is not finalized – the Jets and Packers are yet to work out the finer points in order to make the official announcement – Rodgers confirmed to McAfee that it is going ahead. And that’s enough for the NFL betting markets to take immediate stock.
Here we look at the betting online markets for the Packers and Jets and the impact this developing story is already having across the NFL odds board.
Super Bowl LVIII Odds
- Kansas City Chiefs +600
- Buffalo Bills +800
- San Francisco 49ers +800
- Philadelphia Eagles +900
- Cincinnati Bengals +900
- New York Jets +1200
- Dallas Cowboys +1600
- Los Angeles Chargers +2200
- Baltimore Ravens +2200
- Jacksonville Jaguars +2500
- Detroit Lions +2500
- Miami Dolphins +2800
- Denver Broncos +3500
- Los Angeles Rams +3500
- Green Bay Packers +4000
- Cleveland Browns +4000
- Las Vegas Raiders +4000
- New York Giants +4000
- Minnesota Vikings +4000
- New Orleans Saints +4000
- New England Patriots +5000
- Carolina Panthers +5000
- Pittsburgh Steelers +5000
- Chicago Bears +5000
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +6500
- Seattle Seahawks +6500
- Atlanta Falcons +6600
- Tennessee Titans +8000
- Washington Commanders +8000
- Arizona Cardinals +15000
- Indianapolis Colts +15000
- Houston Texans +20000
Packers Fall Out of Favor
As Rodgers walked off Lambeau Field, wrapped in an embrace with Randall Cobb, following a 20-16 loss to the Detroit Lions in Green Bay’s final game of the 2022 season, one question sprung to everyone’s mind: Is this the beginning of the end?
Well, that verdict is in after months of speculation. Rodgers and Green Bay are parting ways (shocker!). The striking parallels with Brett Favre’s journey out of Green Bay to New York aren’t lost on anyone, providing an interesting backstory to what is a “bittersweet” decision for a player that has bled green and gold for his entire NFL career.
For Green Bay, this means the Jordan Love era is finally set to begin at Lambeau. Not unlike Rodgers, Love has waited in the wings since being drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. But if the sports betting markets were any indication, the anticipation is tepid, to say the least.
Clearly, this is a changing of the guard moment. Green Bay is a middling contender at +4000 to win SBLVIII. Similarly, the Packers are a modest +1600 to win the NFC.
In the NFC North where Rodgers reigned supreme, the Packers are the third favorites at +300 to win the division title. The Detroit Lions (+150) and Minnesota Vikings (+275) are priced shorter in this market.
Aaron Rodgers said he purposely walked off with Randall Cobb at the end of the season with the feeling it would be his last walk off of Lambeau Field. pic.twitter.com/vfpWWAGsmT
— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) March 15, 2023
Jets Fourth-Best Bet To Win SBLVIII
The New York Jets were a quarterback away from reaching the playoffs in 2022. Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2021, is widely considered to be a bust. Backup Mike White had a few good games in two seasons with New York, but he didn’t distinguish himself enough to warrant the starting position. He’s since signed with the Miami Dolphins. Whereas veteran Joe Flacco is – to put it kindly – past his sell-by-date. By the stats, this trio combined for 3,931 passing yards,14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2022.
After the Jets’ quarterback debacle last season, owner Woody Johson had no choice but to find a suitable upgrade to the position. Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP, was the most coveted quarterback in free agency. Arguably, it doesn’t get any better than Rodgers.
Here’s Aaron Rodgers telling Pat McAfee that he intends to be a member of the New York Jets in 2023👇#NFLTwitter #TakeFlight #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/86SZAUWoqT
— Bookmakers Review (@BMRReviews) March 15, 2023
Thus, with Rodgers’ announcement, the Jets have cemented themselves as a legitimate contender at +550 to win the AFC. They are fourth overall favorites, after the Kansas City Chiefs (+350), the Buffalo Bills (+450) and the Cincinnati Bengals (+450), in this sportsbook market.
In the wider spectrum, they’ve become a real Super Bowl heavyweight, priced at +1200. Only the Chiefs (+600), Bills (+800), San Francisco 49ers (+800), Philadelphia Eagles (+900) and Cincinnati Bengals (+900) are priced shorter to lift the coveted Lombardi Trophy.
The more immediate impact, however, is being felt in the AFC East, where the Jets have emerged as the biggest threat to Josh Allen and the Bills’ recent dominance. Since the departure of Tom Brady, the Bills faced little resistance in the race to the divisional title, capitalizing on the rebuilding that was going on around them in New York, New England and Miami to win three straight crowns.
AFC East Division Odds:
- Buffalo Bills +125
- New York Jets +200
- Miami Dolphins +350
- New England Patriots +850
The AFC East figures to be one of the more competitive divisions in 2023, with all three teams narrowing the gap on the Bills. It remains to be seen how the Bills handle a more competitive division, especially Allen, who will have one of his rivals for the NFL regular-season MVP award orbiting in his sphere.
Predictably, reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes (+700) is the favorite to win this coveted award. Allen is the second-best bet (+800) along with Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts, while Rodgers is the co-third-best bet at +1400 with Justin Herbert.