NFL Futures

The NFL futures market has exploded in popularity as novices and professionals alike have added Super Bowl odds, NFL MVP Odds. and myriad other markets to their NFL betting portfolio. NFL futures bets also include division and NFC and AFC Championship winners, as well as a litany of individual prop bets.

Why NFL futures odds have become popular is simple. Pro football is the most-popular sport in America. Plus, wagering on which team will win the AFC or which player will take home NFL Rookie of the Year honors offers a much-larger payout than any single-game bet. If you can find a darkhorse worth backing and it hits, you’ve struck gold.

For those who are especially close to one team, wagering the Over/Under on a team’s win total is another great way to take advantage of that knowledge. Such a market allows you to bet on teams that may not be title contenders, but should fare better than oddsmakers believe. Consider the Chicago Bears. They’re stuck in a tough NFC North with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. But if you feel the defense still is a top-tier unit and Mitchell Trubisky is due for a comeback season, the Bears could be capable of winning more games than some sportsbooks believe.

Betting on NFL futures can be done at any point in the calendar year. There is no offseason. Super Bowl odds come out almost immediately after the previous Super Bowl is over. MVP and other player futures are quickly posted as well. If you think quarterback Tom Brady can guide the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl next year, or if you feel Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield will have a NFL MVP season, you can lock it in now and follow all year – and get pretty amazing odds to win that bet.

NFL Draft futures have really taken off, offering an array of bets ranging from who each team will select in the first round, to which rookie gets taken third overall.

Injuries, trades and other roster moves can shift NFL futures odds. However, all roster moves and injuries aren't created equal. An injury to a star quarterback is much more likely to hurt the odds of a futures bet than a defensive tackle going out for a few games.

Odds shift week-to-week for NFL futures bets. A three-game losing streak in the NFL is massive compared to a three-game bender in the NBA or MLB. You can find value if you know there’s potentially an opportunity to buy low down the road.

Futures odds shift dramatically in the postseason. As teams are eliminated from the NFL Playoffs, for example, the Super Bowl odds for the remaining teams in contention drop. The same holds true in the regular season for other future bets, such as MVP and division winners.

How are NFL Future Bets Paid?

NFL futures are posted with odds that relate to a $100 wager. For example, if you like the Seattle Seahawks to win the NFC and their odds are posted at +650, you would rake in $650 in profit on a $100 bet. Not all bets are so simple to read. A futures bet on the Kansas City Chiefs winning the AFC West might be -325. In that case, you’d need to wager $800 for a $100 profit.

It is important to know what kind of potential payout to expect before laying down any wager. The Bookies.com odds calculator can do the math for you, instantly showing potential payouts and helping smart bettors make smart decisions.

It can be especially confusing if you’re betting a parlay. Picking the San Francisco 49ers at +120 to take the NFC West is great, but what if you’re playing it with the Bills at +325 to win the AFC East? Parlays combine multiple picks for a single bet, a low-risk, high-reward option. Parlay payouts are determined by odds and number of wagers included. Our free parlay calculator is a go-to resource for instantly calculating odds and payouts.

RELATED: Check out our free NFL expert picks all season long

Super Bowl: Which team is going to hoist the Lombardi Trophy? Super Bowl futures odds get more action than any other NFL futures bet. Every team is on the board until they’re eliminated from playoff consideration or lose in the postseason.

MVP: The most-popular player prop is for the Most Valuable Player award. It’s typically the first individual prop to be on the board, and more often than not it’s the “Quarterback of the Year award.”

Offense Player of the Year: While the MVP often goes to a quarterback, the Offensive Player of the Year award is more open to looking at running backs. Carolina Panthers star RB Christian McCaffrey may have a better shot at this one than the MVP.

Defensive Player of the Year: The Defensive POY honor can be tough to gauge, but if you have a bead on it, you can win big. Even the favorites have high odds.

NFL futures are available as soon as the previous season ends and throughout the offseason, preseason and regular season. Odds fluctuate based on how the season progresses, so picking a team or player at the right time can pay off bigger.

Once you’ve found a team or teams to back, it’s time to go shopping. Sportsbooks have different prices on NFL odds, and you can find considerable value on the teams of your choice just by hunting. That’s why we always recommend comparing odds at the top online sportsbooks you’ll find here at Bookies.com.

If you don’t mind a slightly lower payoff, don’t be afraid to back more than one team. Taking both the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans to win the Super Bowl offers a backup in case one of the teams surprisingly struggles, especially the favorite.

Don’t just bank on favorites. The odds won’t offer a significant payout, and favorites typically have their odds rise during the season. The Chiefs and New England Patriots the last two seasons were each +600 in the preseason but were +800 in Week 16 of that same year. KC was as high as +1400 during the season.

When it comes to NFL futures betting, specifically Super Bowl odds, it’s uncommon lately for a real underdog to shock the world. Six of the last seven champions have had preseason odds posted at +900 or lower. The lone exception: the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles were +4000 in the preseason but won, led by backup QB Nick Foles no less.

For NFL MVP, 17 of the last 20 recipients of the honor have been QBs. Running backs and quarterbacks have nearly equal footing for NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Saints WR Michael Thomas won it in 2019, the first wideout to claim the award since Jerry Rice in 1993. The Defensive Player of the Year has gone to linemen in five of the last six years, though again, in 2019, we had an exception to the rule (Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore).