Despite one of the busier weeks in recent NFL free agent history, the Super Bowl futures board has seen very little change, unless you are the defending NFL champion Baltimore Ravens.
It takes a lot for an NFL team’s Super Bowl odds to alter significantly. The Chiefs, for example, remained at 50/1 for most online sportsbooks, even after they traded the new starting quarterback Alex Smith. The addition of Percy Harvin to the Seahawks and Anquan Boldin to the 49ers had no effect on either club’s odds to win it all. It seems that it will take a lot more than that to impress the books.
Low Marks for the Champs
It appears the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens are the initial losers of this off-season’s free-agent signing period. After agreeing to ship receiver Boldin to San Francisco, they watched Dannell Ellerbe sign with the Dolphins, and Paul Kruger, who led the team in sacks last season, leave for the Browns. In response to the moves, the Ravens’ Super Bowl odds have lengthened from 18/1 to 25/1.
Exodus Continues
Baltimore will probably lose two more free agents —defensive backs Ed Reed and cornerback Cary Williams. Reed is being pursued by the Texans and 49ers and at this point, he may feel that either of those teams have a better chance than the Ravens of getting back to the Super Bowl.
They did lock up QB Joe Flacco with a six-year, $120.6 million deal, but the jury is still out on that deal. That is an awful lot to pay a player who parlayed one spectacular playoff run into the biggest deal ever for an NFL quarterback. Just an opinion but I don’t see how he should earn more than future Hall of Famers like Tom Brady or the Manning brothers.
Even after they beat the 49ers for the title, the Ravens were still, not on the hot list to repeat. They were 14/1 immediately after their Super Bowl XLVII celebration and were lengthened to 16/1 the following week.
Broncos Busy
Seemingly minutes after the New England Patriots released Wes Welker, the Denver Broncos were waiting with open arms. The Broncos signed the former Texas Tech star to a two-year deal worth $12 million dollars.
Then there is the strange story involving Denver’s all-pro defensive lineman Elvis Dumervil. After agreeing to a pay cut that would have kept him in Denver for, Dumervil’s agent had 35 minutes to make it official. With Dumervil’s previous salary of $12 million set to become guaranteed at 2 p.m. MT, the Broncos needed a signed copy of the revised agreement which arrived via fax 25 minutes late. That mean Elvis was free to leave the building
So for the moment, the heart and soul of the Broncos defense, is a man without a team. Dumervil did pick up a sack, firing his agent just hours after the debacle.
Despite the drama, Denver is a 7/1 co-favorite with San Francisco to win Super Bowl 48. The Patriots are 15/2.