The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to overcome the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV and pick up a surprisingly easy 31-9 win. As the focus now shifts to the offseason and next year, we’re taking a look at the early Super Bowl LVI futures.
The Favorites
The Kansas City Chiefs (+500) remain at the top of the list despite their horrific performance in the Super Bowl. They have one of the greatest quarterbacks in the league in Patrick Mahomes and several deadly weapons to catch his passes. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce will be back but they might look at upgrading the cast. The defense might need some love too but it’s hard to criticize a team that lost in just three games this season.
As for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+900), they are second in line thanks to legendary quarterback Tom Brady announcing that he intends to run it back for one more season. Assuming they are able to lock down a few of their impending free agents like wideout Chris Godwin, this team could very well be in contention once again.
The NFC favorite is the Green Bay Packers (+1000) as they ended their year off in the NFC Championship game for the second straight season. There was briefly some concern that Aaron Rodgers might not be part of the long-term plans but those rumors were quickly squashed.
One team that’s shot up the board is the Los Angeles Rams (+1200), who are now among the favorites after swapping out Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford. The thinking is that Stafford can upgrade the offense while the defense is already elite. He might be the final missing piece.
The Longshots
The New Orleans Saints (+2000) are one of the longshots worth keeping an eye on. There could be quite a bit of roster turnaround for them as they are in a terrible cap situation and it looks like they might be losing their future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees to retirement. However, if the Saints can keep the band together and find a solution at quarterback, they’ll again be dangerous.
The Cleveland Browns (+2500) are further down the board but they definitely have a chance to content. Both Baker Mayfield and head coach Kevin Stefanski will have a full offseason and training camp to get acquainted with one another and continue to grow as a duo. This team went pretty far without Odell Beckham Jr. and he’ll be back next season.
And don’t forget about the Seattle Seahawks (+2000). This team is definitely going to be competing for a playoff spot around the end of the season as they typically are but can they get Russell Wilson some help?
Wilson is an MVP-caliber player and we know what he can do but if the team can find some upgrades in the running game, the offensive line and on defense, they will again register double-digit wins next season and be a contender for the NFC Championship.