NFL News and Notes: NFL Schedule, Aaron Rodgers, and Super Bowl odds
For our featured NFL News and Notes for today, we feature the recently released schedule for the 2021 NFL season, the 2021 NFL Draft aftermath, the continuing Aaron Rodgers saga, and the initial outright odds for Super Bowl LVI.
And with the hype of the NFL Draft dying down and the dog days of the offseason approaching, NFL fans were given some excitement over the last week. The NFL released its official schedule, and rookie mini-camps are starting, giving fans an opportunity to look ahead to the season and see their high-profile draft picks for the first time in an NFL uniform. After the NFL approved the schedule expansion, this season will feature 17 games for each team. The Dallas Cowboys face off against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to headline week one.
Release of NFL Schedule 2021
With the release of the schedule, oddsmakers started releasing odds on NFL futures for the upcoming season. Hyped rookie quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Zach Wilson will all make their NFL debut and look to get their careers started on a positive note. According to DraftKings, Lawrence is the favorite to win offensive rookie of the year at +300. Fields and Lance are a close second, with both at +600. Zach Wilson follows them up at +700.
All four quarterbacks should have an opportunity to put up big numbers on bad teams, and the race could come down to which player is able to lead their team to more wins. Dallas Cowboys rookie linebacker Micah Parsons is the favorite to win defensive rookie of the year at +500. After having one of the worst defenses in the league last season, Parson should have plenty of opportunities to make an impact and help improve the defense.
Where will last season’s MVP end up this season?
Another big-name quarterback has a less certain future leading up to the beginning of the season. Not only is he a big-name quarterback, but he happens to be the Most Valuable Player of the league last season.
The Aaron Rodgers saga has been well-documented, with the star quarterback making it known he has no desire to return and play for the Green Bay Packers. The rumor mill surrounding where Rodgers will play next season has been quiet, but oddsmakers seem to have an idea as they released odds on what team he will be on to start the season.
According to DraftKings, the Packers are the favorites to keep Rodgers with -125 odds. The Denver Broncos are second at +200 to land Rodgers, after the team passed on quarterback Justin Fields in the draft, many are speculating they may be in the running to land Rodgers. The Las Vegas Raiders have the third-best odds to get Rodgers at +500.
Super Bowl LVI Odds
Oddsmakers have released their odds for the 2022 Super Bowl champ. According to DraftKings, the Kansas City Chiefs are favorites at +525. The defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are second at +650. There is a considerable dropoff to the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams, who are tied for the third-best odds at +1300.
With both the Chiefs and Buccaneers returning most of their rosters from last year’s Super Bowl appearance, it’s no surprise they are the favorites to face off in a rematch of last year. The Bills and Josh Allen are looking to build on last year’s AFC Championship appearance, while the Rams have high hopes for their team with new quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The odds for the Packers may vary as of this moment, depending on what could turn out in the Aaron Rodgers situation before the season starts. Hopefully, both parties could have a mutual agreement on whatever their decisions might be.
