NFL Futures

What Are NFL Futures Bets?

An NFL futures bet is a long-term bet that won’t be “settled” or graded as a win or loss until a considerable amount of time passes - aka sometime in the future. These bets are different than a regular bet on a game, which settles within a few hours of the game ending. Futures bets, meanwhile, can take months to settle.

These 2022-23 NFL future bets can be on many things, including how many games a given team wins, who will win their division and which NFL team will walk away Super Bowl champion, among others. These odds are set well before the NFL season starts and continually adjust as the season progresses. These types of wagers can be extremely profitable, but also tie up your bankroll for a long time.

NFL futures bets are profitable because of the value offered. Sportsbooks give much better odds on things that are months down the road due to the fact there are so many unknown variables. If the Bills start out 10-0, you’re not going to get the same odds on them to win the Super Bowl as you could have in July, for instance.

NFL future bets are also popular toward the end of the season as fans start to lock in their predictions for the end of the season, such as which teams they believe will win the NFC and AFC Championships or the Super Bowl. NFL future bets aren't limited to just teams, either, as you can best on future player props such as who will win MVP and Super Bowl MVP. Let's take a look at some of the more popular NFL future wagers and how you should approach them.

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Why Bet on Future NFL Awards & Events?

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 Justin Fields makes the leap and the defense is adequate, the Bears could be capable of going over their modest win total at betting sites.

NFL futures are so fun to bet because they let us bet on our favorite sport 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 Tom Brady can guide the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl this year, or if you feel Chargers QB Justin Herbert will have a NFL MVP season, you can lock it in now and follow all year.

Place your bet at any of the best sportsbooks apps in the United States, depending on where you live.

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.

Super Bowl Futures

The Super Bowl is the most popular NFL futures bet to make and it's not even close. This wager opens up just minutes after the prior season ends and is available all the way up until the conference championship games are concluded.

Bettors have been placing their wagers on who will win the 2023 Super Bowl for months. The Bills are the favorite, but we like the Broncos as a value pick to win the AFC thanks to the addition of Russell Wilson and a stout defense. Remember, we said win the AFC, not the Super Bowl - those are two different futures bets.

For example, let's say the Dallas Cowboys are (+5000) to win the 2023 Super Bowl (this just got a lot harder without QB Dak Prescott and LT Tyron Smith). In this case, a $100 wager would return $5,000, along with your initial investment. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, the defending champion Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers are among the favorites. The favorites are there for a reason but don't be afraid to jump on a slight "underdog" in hopes to win big money on the NFL futures market.

You can use our free betting and odds calculator to see how much money you would win, depending on the odds and how much you wager. This is a fully customizable calculator with decimal, fractional and American odds given.

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Division and Conference Championship Futures

While the Super Bowl winner is the most common NFL future bet to make, you can also bet on myriad other things, including which team will win each division and who will end up winning the NFC and AFC. These two teams will advance to the Super Bowl, and while the odds won't be as high as they are for them to win it all, it's an overall safer wager. Division winners are even less aggressive bets, as you only have to beat out the other three teams in your division.

Those divisions are the NFC East, NFC West, NFC South, NFC North, AFC East, AFC West, AFC South and AFC North. The winners of these eight divisions will make the NFL playoffs, along with three "wild-card" teams from each conference (AFC and NFC). These three teams will consist of the three teams with the best records in the conference that didn't win their division. There is no limit to how many wild-card teams can come from the same division.

Like the 2023 Super Bowl future odds, these lines will move as well throughout the season. It's worth keeping an eye on the future lies and taking a shot when you see something that looks off.

What Impacts NFL Futures Odds?

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 49ers to win the NFC and their odds are posted at +900, you would rake in $900 in profit on a $100 bet. Not all bets are so simple to read. An in-season futures bet on the 11-1 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.

It can be especially confusing if you’re betting a parlay. Picking the San Francisco 49ers at +140 to take the NFC West is great, but what if you’re playing it with the Bills at -350 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

Futures Bets For the 2022-23 NFL Season

Betting Strategies for NFL Futures

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 Buccaneers and 49ers 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 less favorable odds as the season progresses.

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 eight champions have had preseason odds posted at +900 or lower (the Rams were an execption here at +1200 in the preseason in '21). The other exception? The 2017 Philadelphia Eagles were +4000 in the preseason but won, led by backup QB Nick Foles no less.

For NFL MVP, 18 of the last 21 recipients of the honor have been QBs after Aaron Rodgers won it last year. 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 pass rushers in six of the last seven years (T.J. Watt in '21), though again, in 2019, we had an exception to the rule (Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore).