Free agency has mostly wrapped up, the NFL Draft has come and gone. For the most part, the players who will make up the 2024 NFL are now on their team rosters. 

So now is a great time to get a good price in the NFL futures market. While many like to wait until closer to the start of the season, there can be steals out there if you’re willing to jump on teams early.

Bookies.com veteran NFL handicapper Adam Thompson has revealed five NFL future bets he’s placing well before helmets are strapped.

2024 Best NFL Futures

Win Super Bowl

Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs go into the 2024 NFL season as the two-time defending Super Bowl champs. Teams don’t Threepeat, but KC probably got better this offseason, adding new, (hopefully) more reliable pass-catchers, one of the few weaknesses. I don’t like picking the favorite, but KC, and Mahomes, buck trends. 

The Bengals went 9-8 last season but half of it was without QB Joe Burrow. He’ll be back next season, his WR room remains intact for one more year, and free agency shored up issues at safety and on the D-line. They added a deep and talented draft class. Cincy has a chance if Burrow stays upright. 

The Eagles lost in the Super Bowl two seasons ago and were on their way to last year’s Big Game before the wheels came off, dropping six of their final seven games. A huge issue – pass defense – was addressed with their first two picks of the NFL Draft, and the run game got a boost with Saquon Barkley in free agency. Philly was active in free agency, bent on getting back to the Super Bowl. These are great odds for a team in such a position. 

Win Division

I took the Cowboys last year in an upset to win the NFC East, and they did. Now we’re flipping back to Philly, which improved dramatically more in the off-season compared to its Dallas rival. The Cowboys probably got worse, losing key spots on both sides of the ball without suitably finding a replacement. 

All four teams in the AFC North finished with a winning record in 2023. All four have potential to do so again, but the vibe is the Ravens may have taken a step back due to cap issues and Russell Wilson won’t be the answer under center for the Steelers. That puts the Browns and Bengals in good spots. Cincy has a chance to win it all if Burrow plays, but we’ll hedge with a big-time underdog divisional future. Deshaun Watson is the key to it all, and we’ve seen what he can do in Houston.

The Texans were a shock team last year, going 10-7 to win the AFC South after winning just three games the year prior. Houston had a spectacular off-season, adding RB Joe Mixon and WR Stefon Diggs in trades and standout edge rusher Danielle Hunter, among many others. Indy, Jacksonville, and Tennessee didn’t do enough to make us believe they can catch CJ Stroud and Co. 

Make The Playoffs

The Commanders sold off much of their talent last year, but they regrouped quickly with perhaps the best off-season of any team. That includes getting a new GM, a defense-minded head coach (Dan Quinn), and a dynamic QB in rookie Jayden Daniels. They added RB Austin Ekeler and edge rushers and linebackers with the cache of salary cap room. 

There aren’t many playoff “shoo-ins” for the NFC: The Eagles, 49ers and Lions, probably. Washington could creep into the conversation for one of the three Wild Card spots. 

Honorable mention: Taking the “No” on the Cowboy's playoff hopes is enticing at +185. They were a powerhouse last season and one of my favorite Super Bowl picks. This season, though, they lost far more than they gained in free agency and many NFL Draft analysts ranked Dallas right there with Atlanta at the bottom of the list. Coach Mike McCarthy and QB Dak Prescott will shoulder-blame if Dallas doesn’t take the next step, but the roster simply isn’t as strong, top to bottom.