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The biggest story of NFL draft weekend is already affecting the betting market.
Before the draft even began, news of Aaron Rodgers’ discontentment with the front office of the Green Bay Packers began trickling out. There were even rumored trade partners that surfaced, though those have not yet come to fruition as the Packers brass continues to say it has no plans to deal the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
One of the teams rumored to be pursuing Rodgers on draft night was the Denver Broncos. Mark Schlereth, the longtime NFL offensive lineman and ESPN analyst, was the one spreading that around on Twitter. Schlereth now does radio in the Denver area and said Thursday night that he heard the Broncos were close to a deal to acquire Rodgers.
“I got a text from a very reliable source — not in Denver, outside Denver — from somebody who has never steered me wrong who I believe wholeheartedly that this thing is heating up and close to a done deal,” Schlereth said Friday on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “I go on the radio and I say, ‘Hey, I’m getting this information and it still could fall through obviously, but it’s close.'”
Rodgers rumors cause major shift in odds
Any time one of the best quarterbacks of all time moves teams, it’s going to have ripple effects. As it turns out, there are ripple effects with rumors, too. In this case, it’s with the Super Bowl betting odds.
The Packers’ odds to win the Super Bowl moved from +1200 to +1600 at BetMGM. Understandable. But the Broncos saw their odds jump from +6500 all the way to +2000. And that’s just with Rodgers-to-Denver rumors.
On top of that, a significant portion of the Super Bowl bets received at BetMGM since the night of the first round of the draft have been on the Broncos.
“The big story coming out of the NFL draft was Aaron Rodgers desire to play for another team. Since last Thursday, more than 40% of all bets have been on the Broncos to win the Super Bowl,” said Seamus Magee, a sports trader for BetMGM.
It’s still early in the offseason with plenty of roster maneuvering still to come around the league. As of Monday, the Broncos have received the third-most Super Bowl bets, trailing only last year’s conference champions: the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs, of course, won the Super Bowl in a 31-9 blowout.
The Bucs, currently with +800 odds, have received 19% of the tickets and 28% of the money. The Chiefs, the betting favorite at +500, have received 12% of the bets and 13.6% of the money. The Broncos are next with 7.8% of the bets and 9% of the money.
And as Rodgers trade rumors continue to heat up in the coming weeks, the money will almost certainly follow.
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